Palau eDNA Project

Tracking marine species—who’s present, where, and when—is essential for understanding how ocean ecosystems shift over time, anticipating what may come next, and setting conservation priorities. But in the open ocean, monitoring life is rarely simple. Reaching remote waters takes time, money, and careful coordination.

One essential tool is environmental DNA (eDNA), or the genetic traces left behind as animals and microbes shed cells, scales, and other material into the water. By collecting DNA from filtered seawater, scientists can detect species that recently moved through an area, particularly where visual surveys or satellite observations are limited.

The Center for Ocean Solutions has refined eDNA methods to detect marine life from microbes to mammals for over 10 years. Currently, the Center is working with partners in the Republic of Palau to help shape science and monitoring goals for the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, a vast swath of ocean set aside for protection in 2020.

Since 2021, in partnership with the Palau International Coral Reef Center and the Palauan Government, the team has embarked on several expeditions each year to collect eDNA samples at 32 sites across Palau’s nearshore and offshore waters, as well as its lagoons. The work is establishing baseline biodiversity records and helping establish long-term monitoring protocols to manage the sanctuary. Multiple expeditions have already helped fine-tune collection methods and reveal the rich diversity of species that pass through these habitats at various life stages, including migratory tuna and endangered species like the Napoleon wrasse.

In its next phase, the project will establish a molecular lab at the Palau International Coral Reef Center so that seawater samples can be processed locally and eDNA results returned more quickly. The team is also developing a machine-learning model to sharpen eDNA identification and improve accuracy.

Explore the Palau National Marine Sanctuary