June is National Ocean Month, a celebration of the many ways the ocean sustains life and livelihoods. Throughout the month, we’ll highlight game-changing technologies that are creating a healthier planet and people by helping us better understand the ocean and the diverse life that call it home.
The ocean provides critical life support for humans, but the health of the ocean is taking a hit. Climate change, overfishing, and pollution all have serious, long-term negative consequences for our ocean. To effectively steward the ocean for the health of the planet and humankind, we urgently need new data about what is happening under the water. This week, we are highlighting how MBARI’s Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) brings the lab into the ocean to help scientists and resource managers monitor and count endangered and invasive species.
All watersheds on the planet drain into the ocean and there are many fishes that are diadromous—migrating between freshwater and saltwater—such as salmon and trout. To effectively monitor ecosystems that support endangered and threatened species like coho salmon and steelhead trout, MBARI researchers partnered with @NOAA to use the ESP, a robotic “laboratory in a can,” to filter environmental DNA (eDNA) in order to sample and detect drifting bits of genetic material that allow us to examine organisms without ever seeing or catching them. Find out how this groundbreaking technology is helping researchers fish for eDNA at https://mbari.co/eDNA
