Development of a Novel Method for Monitoring Inshore Fish Communities - EDNA

Tender description

Natural England is currently exploring applications of DNA technology in survey and monitoring of terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity, with a view to increasing efficiency in our monitoring programmes. Inshore fish communities are poorly understood. There is still a considerable lack of understanding of inshore fish community composition, community health, population status, and the scale and footprint of critical pressures and the efficacy of management measures. Filling this evidence gap is a priority for Natural England, as it impacts on the confidence that can be attributed to the efficacy of potential management measures, on estimations of Natural Capital values and on their Ecosystem Service and Societal Goods and Benefits values, and on the UK’s ability to develop and evidence a world class marine monitoring system post-EU exit. When combined with commitments to improve the state of our marine environment identified in the 25 Year Environment Plan and the UK Marine Strategy, there is a clear evidential need to understand the nature and status of our inshore fish populations. Natural England recently completed a proof-of-concept study to test the use of a large-volume programmable marine eDNA sampler for monitoring inshore fish communities in SW England (see attached). In this pilot study, a large-volume programmable marine eDNA sampler was deployed in three locations and was successful in detecting 73 pelagic and demersal fish species (including 11 UKBAP species). It allowed characterisation of nearly three times the number of inshore fish species present in landings data collected during the same season over multiple years. The eDNA sampler also provided data on the diversity of breeding individuals within each sampled inshore fish population, giving important information on community diversity and population health.