As marine organisms swim through the ocean, they leave behind biological traces in the form of skin cells, fish scales, and fecal matter. We collect a sample of marine or fresh water with these biological traces. Our scientists can extract and analyze the biological molecules that an organism left behind, such as DNA, RNA, proteins, or metabolites. This is known as environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis, and can tell us which organisms were present in a given area. 

Our scientists can also extract genetic material from a tissue sample obtained directly from an organism. This allows us to perform a more detailed genetic analysis that gives us insight into the dynamics of the organism’s population, known as population genomics.

Regardless of whether the genetic material was obtained directly from the organism or its environment, the analysis of its biological molecules is called ‘Omics. ‘Omics uses a suite of cutting-edge technologies to identify organisms, understand their behavior, and predict shifts in their population structure. This allows NOAA Fisheries to obtain critical data in more efficient and inexpensive ways. 

For example, we can determine the presence of marine organisms, such as hake, in a particular region, just by obtaining and analyzing a water sample. This has the potential to help fill data gaps that are essential to assessing fisheries, ecosystems, and protected species. Ultimately, ‘Omics and eDNA could be used to characterize essential fish habitat and provide abundance estimates for stock assessments.