A research team led by Prof. USHIO Masayuki from the Department of Ocean Science has developed a new method for monitoring cetaceans in marine ecosystems. Recently, techniques for analyzing environmental DNA (eDNA)—genetic material found in the environment—have advanced rapidly for biodiversity monitoring. However, detecting cetaceans remains difficult due to their low eDNA concentrations in the ocean. The team developed a novel, efficient eDNA marker to detect cetaceans and applied it to seawater samples from Hong Kong waters. They successfully detected Chinese white dolphins using only seawater, demonstrating the potential of this method to enhance cetacean monitoring in Hong Kong.
Environmental DNA Volume 7, e70193
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.70193
