Sunday June 28th, 9:00 – 17:00 (9 AM – 5 PM)
Facilitators: Kevin McKelvey, Rebecca Flitcroft, & Guillermo Giannico
9:00 Introductions (Have participants state their name, profession affiliation and job title, and country)
9:20 Workshop Opener & eDNA Background: Presentation on the history, advantages and limitations of eDNA methodology
Kevin McKelvey and Rebecca Flitcroft
10:00 Comparing Single & Multi-species Methods: Presentation that described how these applications vary
Kevin McKelvey and Rebecca Flitcroft
10:30 Morning Coffee Break
10:50 Applications of eDNA for fish passage – an introduction (30 min time slot + 5 min Q&A each)
Factors affecting fish passage include both physical and environmental barriers (such as invasive species and habitat destruction or degradation). In this context, eDNA can be used for:
1) Monitoring effectiveness of fish passage improvements and barrier removal
- “Fish passage improvements” refers to habitat restoration or improvements/ modifications to infrastructure (e.g., fish ladders) with the intent of improving fish passage. How has eDNA been used to document that the habitat or barrier modification achieved the intended result?
- Has eDNA quantity been used to monitor changes in relative abundance of any species over time?
- What advantages did eDNA provide over traditional sampling methods? Were there any limitation of eDNA compared to traditional sampling methods?
Kevin McKelvey
2) Aquatic invasive species distributions and barrier maintenance or construction
- Using eDNA to determine the distribution of invasive species prior to aquatic organism passage projects, assess effectiveness of eradication efforts above barriers, monitor effectiveness of barriers at preventing invasive species spread, and inform placement of barriers to prevent further aquatic invasive species spread.
- What advantages did eDNA provide over traditional sampling methods? Were there any limitation of eDNA compared to traditional sampling methods?
Rebecca Flitcroft
12:00 Breakout Group Exercise – when to use eDNA? (30 minutes, 15 minutes for group report out)
12:30 Lunch break
13:30 Applications of eDNA for fish passage – case studies from panelists (20 minute time slots; 10 min QA)
Sonia Consuegra (Swansea University, UK) - Practical use of eDNA in assessing fragmentation caused by large and small dams
TBD
14:30 Breakout Group Exercise – Contributed scenarios or case studies (60 minutes)
15:30 Afternoon Coffee Break
15:45 Breakout Group Exercise – Contributed scenarios or case studies continued (45 minutes, 15 minutes for group report out)
16:30 – 16:45 Closing Remarks
Kevin McKelvey
