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.