Thursday November 7, 2024
Fisherman’s News —
A new study by NOAA Fisheries in partnership with the University of Alaska Fairbanks shows it’s possible to estimate fish biomass at once for more than one species, using environmental DNA.
The study, released by NOAA Fisheries on Oct. 31, found that researchers can estimate the abundance of ecologically and commercially important Alaska fish species — Arctic cod, walleye pollock and Pacific cod — which are difficult to distinguish in eDNA samples.
DNA, which stands for deoxyribonucleic acid, is a molecule found inside cells that carries the genetic information necessary for an organism’s development and function, essentially acting as a blueprint for all the proteins in an organism and passing this information from one generation to the next.
eDNA is the genetic material shed by organisms into the surrounding environment.