Comparison of Environmental DNA and SCUBA Diving Methods to Survey Keystone Rockfish Species on the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada

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Within this work we address the relevance of integrating molecular techniques; particularly environmental DNA (eDNA) methods into biological monitoring programs. We focused on the Sebastes genus; a group of important fish in the Pacific Northwest of North America. They are particularly interesting from an evolutionary standpoint due to a high degree of interspecific sequence conservation paired with a high degree of intraspecific sequence variability. We used a novel whole mitochondrial genome approach to overcome these challenges and create successful targeted qPCR eDNA assays for species of particular importance. We also used a metabarcoding approach to compare molecular community diversity estimates with those made by conventional diving methods. We found that molecular techniques were highly sensitive and could detect more species overall. However, both molecular and conventional methods have their strengths. In terms of species and habitat protection, using multiple techniques together will be most impactful.

This data was collected in the territory of the Kitasoo/X'ais x'ais First Nation with the logistical support and permission of the Kitasoo/X'ais x'ais Stewardship Authority. If you download or use this data for any purpose please contact Christina Service the Wildlife Biologist and Science Coordinator at research@kxsa.ca.

[This dataset was processed using the GBIF eDNA converter tool.]

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