Combining environmental DNA sampling, whale watching and citizen science for stakeholder-driven marine biodiversity protection in the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean – eWHALE

The biodiversity in the Earth’s oceans is under acute pressure from anthropogenic threats and marine ecosystems already exhibit high rates of biodiversity change. The sheer vastness and inaccessibility of most marine habitats challenge monitoring efforts and the creation of high-resolution, long-term biodiversity datasets necessary to guide policymakers. On top of that, societal support for the protection of marine biodiversity is key for the implementation of bold conservation strategies. However, most marine taxa are not in the public spotlight and remain hidden beneath the ocean surface.

The eWHALE project will meet the above challenges, unite researchers, industry partners and the public across Europe, and implement stakeholder-driven marine biodiversity protection by combining environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling with whale watching and citizen science. As such, this project will provide a much-needed proof of concept for ocean-wide participatory biomonitoring.

By analyzing eDNA obtained from filtered water samples, we will go beyond the detection of species and generate population-genomics data for a range of marine megafauna species. This novel metagenomics approach will enable the non-invasive assessment of population sizes and individuals. Additionally, we will obtain biodiversity data for a wide range of marine organisms via eDNA metabarcoding, putting special focus on megafauna, high trophic level consumers, and their potential prey. Comparison with data from established monitoring techniques will allow us to evaluate the performance of this novel eDNA toolbox. By incorporating the water sampling directly in whale watching tours, we strive to educate the general public about the potential of molecular methods and raise awareness for the importance of marine biodiversity and its protection.

The focus of this project will be the incorporation of cost effective, widely applicable, eDNA-based techniques into whale watching tours to reach sampling frequencies far beyond those obtainable with research cruises alone. The eWHALE project will utilize cetaceans as flagship taxa for marine conservation to provide a public audience with an easy entry point into the world of marine biodiversity monitoring and protection. Beyond this proof of concept, our participatory strategy can be extended to other stakeholders such as fishers, ferry operators, and tourists and be used to generate datasets of unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution, which are a fundamental prerequisite for policy makers and authorities to establish effective marine biodiversity protection measures.

By combining forces across Europe, this project will bridge the gap between science, industry, and the public, exemplify a novel strategy for marine biomonitoring, and generate public support to boost conservation efforts.