What’s Living in the Water?

Join Samantha Beal (BSc, MSc) from Dalhousie University to discuss their Community-Oriented Coastal Observatory (COCO) program. COCO is an environmental eDNA-based citizen science initiative that bridges the gap between community knowledge and academic research. As species shift in response to climate change, having many eyes and eDNA samplers on the water helps build a clearer picture of what’s changing, where, and how quickly. This presentation will explore the important role of marine biodiversity, why and how we use eDNA for monitoring, why community involvement is essential, and how groups or individuals might take part in COCO.