Dr. Jane Lubchenco (blue jacket), White House OSTP’s Deputy Director for Climate and Environment, with eDNA researchers at CHOW. Dr. Lubchenco delivered remarks at CHOW and the 3rd National Marine eDNA Workshop and moderated a session on the unveiling of the White House Strategy.
One major challenge of studying marine and aquatic ecosystems is obtaining an accurate map of the type and number of species within the environment. The United States is home to a wide range of aquatic ecosystems, including estuaries, lakes, and oceans with one of the largest exclusive economic zones in the world. Biodiversity drives the health, functioning, and services provided by freshwater and marine ecosystems and has substantial cultural and economic significance, making accurate maps of biodiversity so important. Advancements in biomolecular technology now allow scientists to detect DNA shed by marine life into the water, a technique called environmental DNA (eDNA). eDNA approaches provide a powerful, non-destructive, and cost effective tool that gives us the ability to monitor life in our marine and aquatic environments.
The White House Office of Science, Technology, and Policy (OSTP) recognized the power of this tool and the importance of studying ecosystem biodiversity across the nation with the release of the 'National Strategy for Aquatic Environmental DNA' as part of a larger OSTP effort to advance sustainable ocean management. This strategy empowers federal agencies and partners to effectively harness eDNA as a detection tool for mapping and monitoring biodiversity. It also calls other public and private agencies to action as we work to unite science and entrepreneurial efforts to collaboratively improve the eDNA research and operations space. Importantly, NOAA has been leading the research and development of eDNA tools for the past decade to transition to operational marine biodiversity monitoring.
For the past 7 years, the Ocean Molecular Ecology (OME) Program at PMEL has been employing eDNA to study coastal ecosystems along the U.S. West Coast as well as the Bering Sea and Arctic Ocean. This national strategy is a call to action for continuing our efforts to develop and implement eDNA tools to monitor marine biodiversity at scale. In particular the strategy highlights the need for OME’s work to standardized, reproducible eDNA sampling practices, improve and deploy autonomous eDNA samplers, and fill eDNA reference databases. OME will continue to invest in the research, development, and application of eDNA science within NOAA in support of key agency missions from harmful algal bloom monitoring to protected species management to climate resilient fisheries and ecosystem management.
Read more about White House strategy to capitalize on the immense power of eDNA at NOAA Research.