Scientists have published a novel method for counting Pacific salmon—analyzing DNA from the slime the fish leave behind in their spawning streams.
The study, funded by The National Geographic Society, is published in the journal Molecular Ecology Resources.
“When we analyzed the environmental DNA sloughed into water from salmon tissues including mucus and skin cells, we got very accurate counts,” said Taal Levi, an ecologist at Oregon State University and lead author on the study. “This is a major first step for more informed salmon management decisions because it opens up the possibility to affordably monitor many more streams than the few that are currently monitored.”
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2019-01-slime-valuable-method-salmon-alaska.html#jCp