• Services
  • Projects
  • Publications
    • Reports
    • Scientific publications
  • AquaBiota Twitter
  • About us
  • Coworkers
  • Work with us
  • Contact
  • Swedish
  • English

AquaBiota

Välkommen till AquaBiota!

  • About us
  • Coworkers
  • Work with us
  • Contact
  • Swedish
  • English
  • Services
  • Projects
  • Publications
    • Reports
    • Scientific publications
  • AquaBiota Twitter

Research breakthrough: One jug of water reveals the fish species of a lake

2017-09-22 AquaBiota

AquaBiota can now present a revolutionising, and reliable, method to identify all fish species that occurs in a lake, through analysing DNA from a water sample! This is the first time this is achieved in Sweden.

More than 50 Swedish lakes and streams have been investigated and the results compared with earlier exploratory fisheries. The results from the comparisons shows that the new method is considerably more reliable, as it identifies all species accurately, also the rare and elusive species that are not always caught with conventional fishing methods. After the development of the method, AquaBiota has used the method for inventories in Östergötland, Dalarna and Norrbotten.

The method involves analysing the DNA that fishes and other animals excrete to their surroundings, and this DNA is called eDNA (environmental DNA). A considerable amount of international research has been devoted to the method, which is now reliable and efficient. The method to analyse several species within one group of organisms simultaneously is called Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). Also in Sweden eDNA from water samples have been used, but previously species have only been analysed one at a time. AquaBiota is first in Sweden to be able to use NGS for aquatic animals. The development of the current method has been performed in collaboration with the University of Hull (Great Britain) and MoRe Research (Örnsköldsvik).

The new method revolutionises fish sampling and, among other things, entail the following:

  • Many more waters can be investigated as the field work to collect water samples is considerably faster than exploratory fishing methods. The sampling can also be performed from a helicopter.
  • All fish species are detected with the eDNA-method, which means that the total biodiversity of fish can be investigated and monitored. All other fishing methods are selective, i.e. they target certain fish species or size classes.
  • Also rare and threatened species can be monitored, without impact to the targeted fish. The method also does not have any impact on the benthic environment.
  • The reliability is high, which results in considerably more reliable time series, and better possibilities to discover changes.
  • The method works in all types of water: lakes, streams and also waters that are difficult to fish, such as large ocean depths or water under ice.

The method demands expertise within genetics, molecular biology and ecology to succeed.

  • All of Sweden’s 100 000 lakes in a year, says Martin Isaeus, CEO of AquaBiota.
  • We can thank CSI, that has inspired us to this research breakthrough, says Micaela Hellström, one of the researchers behind the method.

Read more about our work connected to eDNA.

Filed Under: Other

Contacts


Martin Andersson
PhD Limnic ecology
martin.andersson@aquabiota.se
Telefon: 0852230259
Mobil: 0707820309

Mer info

News

IMAGINE summarized

Aug 14

IMAGINE, a research project on marine landscape … Read more »

New report on marine green infrastructure

Jun 22

Results from IMAGINE, a research project on marine … Read more »

The field season has started

Jun 22

This year's field season is underway and marine … Read more »

Comparisons of traditional net fishing and eDNA sampling for coastal fish surveys

Jun 17

On behalf of Blekinge County Administrative Board … Read more »

AquaBiota is out of office 6th to 26th July

Jun 16

AquaBiota is out of office 6th to 26th July. … Read more »

AquaBiota is moving to a new address

Jun 16

In the end of September AquaBiota is relocating … Read more »

See all posts »

NYHETSBREV

Klicka här för att prenumerera på vårt nyhetsbrev.

Några gånger per år skickar AquaBiota ut ett nyhetsbrev med aktuell information om vår verksamhet och utvalda externa händelser.

CONTACT

08 – 522 302 40
info@aquabiota.se

 

AquaBiota Water Research ABWR AB
Sveavägen 159
113 46 Stockholm

EVALUATION OF CREDITWORTHINESS

Copyright © 2021 AquaBiota · An iGoMoon Website · Log in

We use cookies on this website to gather information how you use the website so we can improve the experience for you. By continuing to use our services, you are giving us your consent to use cookies.