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April 25, 2021: Fish

Between September 23-27, 2019, a team of ocean scientists and engineers from Lehigh University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution used NOAA Research Vessel Manta and the newly developed autonomous underwater vehicle Mesobot to collect environmental DNA, or eDNA, in order to explore the biodiversity of deepwater ecosystems near Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.

Image courtesy of Lehigh University, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, and the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. Download larger version (jpg, 592 KB).

Between September 23-27, 2019, a team of ocean scientists and engineers from Lehigh University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution used NOAA Research Vessel Manta and the newly developed autonomous underwater vehicle Mesobot to collect environmental DNA, or eDNA, in order to explore the biodiversity of deepwater ecosystems near Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico.

eDNA is the genetic material that organisms leave behind in the water column. As is done with forensic science, marine species are able to be identified by the invisible signs of their presence constantly being left in the environment.

On National DNA Day, take a moment to learn more about the project and its important implications to managing and protecting resources within and around Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.