Invited guests questionnaire

Please take a moment to complete this Google Form by Friday, November 14.

Motivation

The ocean hosts the majority of Earth’s unknown species and habitats. However, the high seas remain strongly under-observed and under-sampled across all depths, from the sunlit ocean surface through the midwater zone to the abyssal plains and deepest hadal trenches. Increasingly rapid assessments of environmental DNA (eDNA) allow scientists to detect species remotely and non-invasively, providing a highly sensitive, cost-effective, and rapid method for mapping biodiversity. By collecting genetic material shed by organisms, eDNA surveys can reveal the presence of elusive, rare, or invasive species that are often missed by traditional observation-based methods. At present, the global marine eDNA community currently uses a variety of means to acquire, handle, and process eDNA samples collected from the land-sea interface and throughout the water column to the deep seafloor.  From singular surveys, focused time series measurements, regional programs, and global-scale overviews, the vision of utilizing eDNA methods for documenting biodiversity, establishing network-of-life baseline assessments, and conducting environmental impact studies is ever increasing along with varied means for doing so.

Technological needs

The tools and techniques employed for eDNA analyses span a wide range of technological complexity, from streamlined manual methods based on very low-cost equipment to highly sophisticated, semi-autonomous and fully autonomous approaches used in conjunction with ships and an array of uncrewed platforms. No singular standardized method is applied uniformly by all, nor will it likely ever be. Yet, the varied ways and means of conducting comprehensive eDNA surveys in the marine environment is central to creating a framework for applying this technique sustainably and at-scale. Looking forward, basic research, resource management, and conservation-oriented applications will ultimately rest on a suite of sample collection and analytical approaches and the engagement of a broad community of practitioners.

The workshop

Planned by the Pink Flamingo Society, the Sustainable Global Marine Omics Observation and Coordination Workshop seeks to identify opportunities for scaling current sampling efforts to the global ocean. To that end, we will use the upcoming Antarctica InSync program (an international UN Ocean Decade program dedicated to the Southern Ocean) as a case study to drive the workshop agenda. The upcoming field surveys that will be conducted in support of Antarctica InSync will be undertaken by a group of international partners and will span from near shore to the deep sea, utilizing sailing boats to research icebreakers and global-class cruise vessels. The workshop is also timely in relation to contributing to other large decadal efforts such as OBON, upcoming initiatives such as NEPTUNE, and other efforts to understand the ocean’s genetic richness that are relevant to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

Final agenda

See PDF version here.

Arrival and evening welcome reception

5:30 PM – 7:30 PM Wave Street Studios, Monterey

8:00 AM Shuttle service departs hotel for MBARI; arrive ~8:30

8:30 – 9:30 Breakfast

9:30 AM – 12:30 Session 1: Global Context and Current Practice

  • 9:30 – 9:45 Welcome – introductions, logistics, workshop intent and goals
  • Session framing across all days: Presentations and discussions should address implications for interoperability, comparability, scalability, and long-term use of marine eDNA observations, where relevant.
  • 9:45 – 12:30 Exemplary large global programs: partners, scope, planned operations related to eDNA collections
    • 09:45 – 10:10 Neptune – Jean Marc Daniel
    • 10:10 – 10:35 OBON – Katie Pitz
    • 10:35 – 11:00 OBIS/BBNJ and marine genetic resources – Stephen Formel
    • 11:00 – 11:20 Break
    • 11:20 – 11:45 Revolutionising marine conservation with eDNA – Mike Bunce
    • 11:45 – 12:10 Tara and eDNA Abyss/Genoscope – Patrick Winker
    • 12:10 – 12:30 Antarctica InSync – Charlotte Havermans

12:30 – 1:30 Lunch

1:45 – 3:00 Session 2: Sample Acquisition Strategies

  • 1:45 – 2:10 Manual (all manual, best practices) – Eily Allan
  • 2:10 – 2:35 Semi- to fully autonomous – Kevan Yamahara
  • 2:35 – 3:00 Open Discussion

3:00 – 3:15 Break3:15 – 5:00 Session 3: Sample Processing and Data Analysis/Visualization

  • 3:15 – 3:40 Sample handling/processing and curation of extracts – Susie Theroux
  • 3:40 – 4:05 Data processing pipelines and visualization tools – Sarah Tucker
  • 4:05 – 5:00 Open discussion: Review of the day’s presentations; planning for Day 2

5:15 – 7:30 Reception at the Haute Enchilada, Moss Landing

7:30 – Shuttle departs the Haute Enchilada for hotel

8:00 AM Shuttle service departs hotel for MBARI; arrive ~8:30

8:30 – 9:30 Breakfast

9:15-12:00 Session 4: Working group discussions #1

  • 9:15 – 9:30 Recap Day 1, brief for Day 2, working group assignments
  • 9:30 – 12:00 Break out group discussions; methodological and procedural intercomparisons/compilations:
    • Each participant is invited to bring a 3-slide lightning talk (5 min max) for their working group: What examples, highlights, advice, images would you like to showcase and contribute for use in a white paper stemming from this workshop?
    • Note: all materials presented are for workshop participant’s consideration only and will not be used outside of the meeting (e.g., for developing a publicly accessible white paper) without the contributor’s expressed permission.
  • What is known / well established. What needs further investigation?
  • Group 1. Sample acquisition – Leads: Charlotte Havermans and Kevan Yamahara
  • Group 2. Sample processing and archival – Susie Theroux and Patrick Winker
  • Group 3. Data processing and curation – Mike Bunce and Katie Pitz

12:00 – 1:30 Lunch

1:30 – 2:30 Session 5: Working group initial reports

Initial findings, observations, impressions? What is the proposed focus for the afternoon’s discussion that will lead to the group’s presentation/synthesis of findings and recommendations (10 min presentation, 10 min discussion)?

  • 1:30 – 1:50 Group 1. Sample acquisition
  • 1:50 – 2:10 Group 2. Sample processing and archival
  • 2:10 – 2:30 Group 3. Data processing and curation

2:45 – 4:45 Session 6: Working group discussions #2

Break out groups draft synthesis of findings and prepare presentation of recommendations, needs, gaps for the Thursday morning plenary session

  • What is well established?
  • What needs further development/consideration?
  • What are the opportunities and gaps?
  • What are the recommendations for moving forward?

5:00 Shuttle departs MBARI for hotel

6:30 – 9:00 Reception and dinner at the Monterey Bay Aquarium

8:00 AM Shuttle service departs hotel for MBARI; arrive ~8:30

8:30 – 9:30 Breakfast

9:30 – 12:00 Session 7: Plenary discussions and workshop conclusions

9:30 – 9:45 Day 3 briefing and goals

Final group reports: Towards advancing interoperability/calibration of tools, techniques, approaches (10 min presentation, 10 min discussion).

  • 9:45 – 10:05 Group 1
  • 10:05 – 10:30 Group 2
  • 10:30 – 10:55 Group 3

10:55 – 11:10 Break

11:10 – 12:15 Open discussion

  • Needs and opportunities for advancing intercalibration studies/tests prior to the start of Antarctica InSync / Neptune-specific focused activities, such as method intercomparison, establishment and sharing of reference sample materials/data, etc.?
  • Equipment and platforms (e.g., automated samplers, ASVs, AUVs, etc.)
  • eDNA analytics business cases and start-ups; opportunities and risks
  • Compile reports from working groups
  • Summarize next steps/action items/leads
  • Agree on framework for a white paper that documents outcomes of the workshop: section leads, time line, how this relates to and helps bolster other global initiatives envisioning sustainable, global, eDNA observations.

12:15 – 1:45 Lunch and adjourn

1:45 – 3:00 Optional: MBARI walking tour

Date

February 3 - 5, 2026

Location

MBARI
7700 Sandholdt Road
Moss Landing, CA 95039

Lodging

Hotel in historic Monterey with shuttle service between the hotel and MBARI