LB 27-231 - Genetic Surveillance of Invasive Species (GeneSIS) in the Great Lakes Basin

Aquatic invasive species (AIS) cause billions in economic damages annually; investing in prevention measures is the most cost-effective strategy for control as low-density populations are easier to manage than species that have become established. However, detecting new invasions can be challenging and time-consuming. The US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Northeast Fishery Center and Whitney Genetics Lab have been developing an environmental DNA-based metabarcoding protocol to detect fish species from water samples collected in the Great Lakes basin. This technique allows a wide diversity of species to be identified, providing biodiversity assessment of both the native fish community and potential invasive species simultaneously. To ensure quality data, staff at USFWS have taken a multi-faceted approach, including sequencing mitogenomes of invasive and native species from across their geographic ranges and developing qPCR assays to target AIS for confirmation testing when a result is positive in the metabarcoding data. In addition, the program is being developed to mitigate cost and contamination risk while removing barriers to participation by external agencies. With funding secured in 2022 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law administered by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI), the Genetic Surveillance of Invasive Species (GeneSIS) program has begun implementation by communicating our program to internal and external agencies, as well as conducting pilot studies to optimize both field and laboratory methods. Standardized protocols and quality plans are being developed for each major component of the program, as well as a communication plan for partners. Next year, we will begin including external partners in the field collection process to ensure sample collection is consistent across agencies. For full implementation, we envision the GeneSIS program to be a highly collaborative program between the USFWS and external organizations to support early detection of AIS.