Metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escape

Abstract Gillnets are the world's most common net‐based fishing gear, comprising walls of light mesh designed to entangle fish. Gillnets are often retrieved with holes in the netting, which means some animals escape or are depredated unseen, but with some mortality. To effectively manage fisher...

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Main Authors: Mark deBruyn, Matteo Barbato, Matt K. Broadhurst
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Environmental DNA
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.234
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author Mark deBruyn
Matteo Barbato
Matt K. Broadhurst
author_facet Mark deBruyn
Matteo Barbato
Matt K. Broadhurst
author_sort Mark deBruyn
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Gillnets are the world's most common net‐based fishing gear, comprising walls of light mesh designed to entangle fish. Gillnets are often retrieved with holes in the netting, which means some animals escape or are depredated unseen, but with some mortality. To effectively manage fisheries around the world, information is required on not only the harvested and discarded mortalities, but also problematic interactions and mortalities caused by the fishing gear and especially those involving protected species. This study sought to assess a novel method for determining such interactions by sampling five adjacent pieces of netting around each of ten holes in two bather‐protection polyethylene gillnets for environmental DNA or “eDNA”. Here we show that eDNA correctly identified all previously entangled‐and‐landed species. Also, eDNA from three uncaptured taxa were recorded: bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, white shark, Carcharodon carcharias and dolphins (Delphindae), illustrating the potential to reveal previously cryptic gillnet interactions. We propose that as scientific methods evolve and autonomous real‐time DNA surveillance becomes routine, eDNA testing of fishing gears and vessels could provide a novel, complementary fishery‐monitoring tool.
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spelling doaj.art-08e6af1cd0d4451c9569adedacfbd8222022-12-22T04:10:09ZengWileyEnvironmental DNA2637-49432022-01-014115716610.1002/edn3.234Metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escapeMark deBruyn0Matteo Barbato1Matt K. Broadhurst2School of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney NSW AustraliaSchool of Life and Environmental Sciences The University of Sydney Sydney NSW AustraliaNSW Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries Conservation Technology Unit, National Marine Science Centre Southern Cross University Coffs Harbour NSW AustraliaAbstract Gillnets are the world's most common net‐based fishing gear, comprising walls of light mesh designed to entangle fish. Gillnets are often retrieved with holes in the netting, which means some animals escape or are depredated unseen, but with some mortality. To effectively manage fisheries around the world, information is required on not only the harvested and discarded mortalities, but also problematic interactions and mortalities caused by the fishing gear and especially those involving protected species. This study sought to assess a novel method for determining such interactions by sampling five adjacent pieces of netting around each of ten holes in two bather‐protection polyethylene gillnets for environmental DNA or “eDNA”. Here we show that eDNA correctly identified all previously entangled‐and‐landed species. Also, eDNA from three uncaptured taxa were recorded: bull shark, Carcharhinus leucas, white shark, Carcharodon carcharias and dolphins (Delphindae), illustrating the potential to reveal previously cryptic gillnet interactions. We propose that as scientific methods evolve and autonomous real‐time DNA surveillance becomes routine, eDNA testing of fishing gears and vessels could provide a novel, complementary fishery‐monitoring tool.https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.234fisheriesforensicsillegalmetabarcodingtrace DNAillegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
spellingShingle Mark deBruyn
Matteo Barbato
Matt K. Broadhurst
Metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escape
Environmental DNA
fisheries
forensics
illegal
metabarcoding
trace DNA
illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
title Metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escape
title_full Metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escape
title_fullStr Metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escape
title_full_unstemmed Metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escape
title_short Metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escape
title_sort metabarcoding gillnets to assess unaccounted catch depredation or escape
topic fisheries
forensics
illegal
metabarcoding
trace DNA
illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing
url https://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.234
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AT matteobarbato metabarcodinggillnetstoassessunaccountedcatchdepredationorescape
AT mattkbroadhurst metabarcodinggillnetstoassessunaccountedcatchdepredationorescape