Project Title: Winter flounder fyke and eDNA monitoring survey
Duration: January 2023 to April 2023
Funding Source(s): MA State Funds
Lead Investigator / onsite-contact: John Logan, MA Division of Marine Fisheries
Phone: 508-742-9722
Email: john.logan@mass.gov
Project Description: The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries is carrying out an environmental DNA (eDNA) and fyke net survey to better understand habit use of Waquoit Bay and other Cape Cod estuaries by winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus). eDNA is genetic material that winter flounder and other aquatic organisms release into the water and can include substances like mucus, skin, scales, blood, and waste. Fyke nets are a type of fish trap that are set off the shoreline to intercept winter flounder traveling though the Bay. We will deploy four fyke nets in Waquoit Bay during the winter and early spring (January-April) when adult winter flounder are presumed to be in Waquoit Bay staging to spawn to estimate the relative abundance of fish across this time period. At the same time, we will collect bottom water samples from throughout the Bay for eDNA analysis. Comparing eDNA results to a more traditional net survey will allow us to better understand how eDNA detections relate to relative abundance of winter flounder in this system.
