Development of a new rapid eDNA detection method to define fish spawning periods: a new tool for increasing the effectiveness of timing windows

Funding period: 2022-2024
Lead: Royce Steeves
Total GRDI funding: $83,720

A common mitigation measure used to reduce risk of harm to fish and fish habitat near industrial development projects is the designation of timing windows that define periods in the year when work can occur. Spawning is a vulnerable period in the life cycle of fish and is most often considered in determining timing windows in Canada. However, knowledge of the effectiveness of timing windows is limited and there is little information on variation in the timing of spawning and shifts due to environmental pressures like climate change. Therefore, we seek to develop novel environmental DNA-based (eDNA) molecular tools for detecting increases of fish gametes in the water. This will entail sampling fish eDNA by filtering water and monitoring for changes in the ratio of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA for multiple species at a time. If effective, this method would be a rapid and cost-effective means of simultaneously detecting multiple species and signatures of their spawning activity.