Aquatic Pest Biosecurity within the Biosecurity & Emergency Management section of DPIRD have been utilising eDNA for surveillance, monitoring and detection of invasive marine species for over ten years in Western Australia (WA).
eDNA sources include the State-Wide Array Surveillance Program (SWASP) in collaboration with WA Port Authorities and port industry stakeholders, State waters, Commonwealth waters for the Department of Defence, and the Indian Ocean Territories. Methods have ranged from passive settlement arrays, filters, biofoul, water and plankton across an extensive range of latitudes and marine environments in WA.
For over a decade, the department has developed, adopted and expanded a suite of molecular tools and methods for IMS surveillance including species-specific qPCR, metabarcoding, targeted assays, and development of a molecular reference collection, supporting the expansion of molecular reference databases globally.
The use of eDNA and molecular diagnostic tools in IMS programs have proven highly effective in ensuring reliable and ongoing surveillance for the state as well as fostering stakeholder involvement and collaboration, broadening our biodiversity knowledge of these regions.
In this presentation we discuss the applications, benefits and challenges of using eDNA for IMS surveillance, as well as our concerns and hopes for the future.