Federal Genomics Research Towards Enabling Edna-Based Detection of Aquatic Invasive Species in Canada and Potential Applications

Aquatic invasive species are transported via numerous human-mediated vectors and pose a significant risk to the Canadian economy and aquatic ecosystems. Early detection of new incursions can inform rapid response or other management interventions. Next generation sequencing technologies offer great promise for the early detection of invasive species from environmental samples. However, the usefulness of this approach is a function of the availability of validated DNA barcoding datasets, such that unknown sequences can be confidently ‘matched-up’ with a reference sequence from an accurately-identified and traceable voucher specimen. Stringent data quality requirements and the ability to confirm positive screening tests are imperative for this approach to be used by government in a regulatory context. The Government of Canada recently invested in a large interdepartmental federal genomics project aimed at developing new multi-gene DNA sequence repositories and related data analysis tools to ultimately enable the development of eDNA-based detection and control tools for invasive species. There are many possible applications for these tools, including rapid screening of live finfish imports and ballast water tanks, and for monitoring and mitigating the spread of aquatic invasive species into vulnerable ecosystems.