eWHALE

Due to climate change and human exploitation, the biodiversity in the Earths oceans is changing at an alarming rate. To counteract these negative trends, governments rely on marine biomonitoring datasets and broad public support for any countermeasures. Unfortunately, the vastness of the marine realm makes it difficult to track the ongoing changes with research cruises alone and many endangered marine species are not even known to the public. To resolve this difficult situation, the eWHALE project will unite researchers, industry partners and the public across Europe and implement a novel strategy for marine biodiversity monitoring. We will produce marine biodiversity data from water samples collected close to whales. These contain trace amounts of DNA from the whale and every other species present. Their molecular analysis will reveal information on whale population structure as well as their prey. In the eWHALE project, the water samples will be taken during whale watching trips and research cruises. Since the boats of the commercial providers are out on the water almost every day and the sampling process is extremely cost- and time-efficient, a high-resolution marine biodiversity dataset will be generated. By comparing our results to conventionally obtained data, we will showcase the power of molecular methods applied to environmental samples. Additionally, the interested public will be educated on the potential of this approach and the importance of marine conservation. By sampling simultaneously at different locations in the North-East Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea, it will be possible to compare local marine biodiversity and whale populations. Additionally, eWHALE will directly investigate other marine megafauna of conservation concern such as the basking shark and porbeagle, which are extremely difficult to monitor. Ultimately, this project will bridge the gap between science, industry, and the public, implement a new biomonitoring method, and boost public support for marine conservation.