Researchers collected water samples containing eDNA up and down the Penobscot River during the spring, summer and fall of 20. “In the Penobscot River Estuary, where the ocean and river meet, eDNA may be able to help measure aspects of ecosystem recovery that are more challenging to assess using traditional methods.” “eDNA is a new technology that has the potential to be an incredibly powerful tool,” she said. “The recent removal of dams and construction of fishways and other infrastructure, however, has led to the start of their recovery.”Ĭammen, a UMaine associate professor of marine mammal science, is eager to test the potential of eDNA for ecosystem monitoring in a highly dynamic system. “Their populations declined in past centuries due to dam construction, which limited access to and fragmented historical spawning grounds,” Sunnarborg said. River herring (alewife and blueback herring) are anadromous fish with historical, ecological and cultural significance in Maine. When they received a grant of $19,847 from the Maine Outdoor Heritage Fund (MOHF) in 2021, UMaine researchers, led by principal investigator Kristina Cammen and doctorate candidate Julia Sunnarborg, partnered with the Maine Department of Marine Resources (DMR), Maine Sea Grant and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to expand their understanding of river herring recovery and broader ecosystem dynamics in the Penobscot River estuary. By testing its viability as a survey tool, UMaine researchers and their colleagues hope eDNA can be an asset to managers of Maine’s natural resources, according to a news release from Daniel Timmermann with UMaine. EDNA is the genetic material shed by all organisms in the environment, which can be collected and sequenced.

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