Project Title: Winter flounder seine, beam trawl and eDNA monitoring survey
Duration: May – October 2026
Funding Source(s): MA State Funds
Principal Investigator and onsite-contact: John Logan, MA Division of Marine Fisheries
Contact: john.logan@mass.gov
Project Description: The Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries (MA DMF) is carrying out a seine, beam trawl, and environmental DNA (eDNA) survey to better understand survival and habit use of Waquoit Bay by young of the year (YOY) 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. The presence and amount of eDNA in the water column can be influenced by the target species’ presence, abundance, and activity (e.g., spawning) as well as a variety of environmental factors. Beach seine nets can be used to capture YOY winter flounder along the shoreline, and MA DMF has operated a long-term monitoring seine survey in Waquoit Bay and other southern Cape Cod estuaries since the late 1970s. Seine nets have bottom weights and surface floats that create a barrier across the water column. Small estuarine fish and invertebrates are effectively collected with beach seines in shallow water by hauling them slowing towards the water’s edge. A beam trawl is a small bottom-weighted net that is towed along the seafloor behind a small skiff, and is an effective tool for collecting YOY winter flounder in the deeper waters of Waquoit Bay that are out of the seine net’s reach.
We plan to perform seine, beam trawl, and eDNA sampling monthly from May to October 2026. The goal is to update our understanding of YOY winter flounder survival and habitat preferences during their first growing season. By combining the three complementary sampling techniques, we hope to have a comprehensive understanding of the relative abundance of YOY winter flounder at different points in the summer and fall as well as an understanding of their habitat preferences within Waquoit Bay during this period.
