Environmental DNA as a Tool for Canada’s 2030 Nature Strategy

Originally published by Ethan Edson, Ocean Diagnostics' Co-Founder and CEO, on LinkedIn on April 7, 2026.

Declining salmon populations, rising ocean temperatures and increasing plastic pollution are already reshaping Canada’s coastal ecosystems and the communities that depend on them.

To tackle environmental threats, Canada just announced an ambitious $3.8 Billion Strategy to Protect Nature, and a large focus is on our oceans.

Healthy oceans are vital to human health, food security, cultural preservation and the US$2.5 trillion per year blue economy, according to the UN Development Programme.

As an adopter of The United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030) and signatory of the recently ratified BBNJ (Agreement on Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction), also known as the High Seas Treaty, Canada appears to be delivering on its promises to commit funding and action to protect ocean health and biodiversity.

On paper, these global commitments emphasize the need for improved scientific data collection to inform decision-making. In reality, nation-states face substantial challenges in implementing measurable targets. Limited technical capacity, uneven access, fragmented data infrastructure and insufficient long-term funding are among them.

A critical barrier is coordinated, standardized and measurable actions that are scalable and cost-effective. Luckily, methods and technologies are readily available to break down these barriers.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has proven to be an easy and accurate method for mapping marine biodiversity. eDNA is a non-destructive method of collecting genetic material shed from ocean species and organisms into the water. The material collected is then analyzed in a laboratory using genomics techniques which compare the recovered genetic material to known sequence databases. This enables individual species identification from the sample.

Canada's Nature Strategy aims to expand marine protected areas and establish new sites, strengthen and protect species at risk, mitigate threats to marine biodiversity, and restore vulnerable Pacific and Atlantic Salmon populations and their habitats.

eDNA can provide a snapshot of species in the ecosystem, detect at-risk, cryptic and invasive species and pathogens and parasites, and even provide insight into overall water quality and habitat health. It is a reliable way to implement and measure targets towards these commitments.

Until recently, collecting eDNA samples in marine environments was limited to either destructive sampling like tissue samples or sampling instruments with time-consuming processes, risk of sample contamination and deployment challenges in remote environments due to size and weight.

To overcome this challenge, technology developers have designed automated instruments capable of collecting eDNA in various ocean environments, even at depth, and that can standardize and simplify the process.

Emerging commercial technologies like automated eDNA depth samplers and portable surface samplers incorporate cutting-edge innovation to collect contamination-free samples throughout the marine environment. With the development of intuitive user interfaces and standard operating procedures, these devices can be used by anyone, from seasoned researchers to volunteer community scientists.

eDNA sampling technology requires little training, provides high-quality scientific data and is scalable for regional and national programs. It enables baseline assessments, monitors impacts and strengthens capacity building.

While eDNA has its limitations, it complements traditional methods while providing more in-depth data. The idea of implementing eDNA for large-scale biodiversity monitoring is gaining traction around the world.

Australia's Minderoo Foundation is an example of a successful large-scale eDNA program with tangible results. Scientists, marine park rangers and volunteers used automated eDNA depth samplers to collect hundreds of samples along the continent’s southwestern coast, including hard-to-reach places that had never been surveyed. The data was used to help Parks Australia create the world's largest online marine biodiversity database, now made accessible to the public.

With the largest coastline in the world and new strengthened commitments to protect it, Canada has a responsibility to safeguard its oceans. The technological capabilities to implement urgent and measurable action are available and ready to scale. The newly launched Expert Taskforce on Natural Capital Accounting and Nature Financing meets this spring to launch new funding programs as part of the 2030 Nature Strategy.

We believe that now is time to mobilize the capital needed to deploy a large-scale eDNA program in Canada to meet our biodiversity and conservation goals.

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