Personally, I don’t think they are there. I think the DNA was transported by Wildlife.
So they are hiring commercial fishermen to net (and I assume kill) fish below the Ford Dam. Can someone tell me WTF for? So they can say, “Yup, there’s one”.
Not good.
Their there, no surprise. They’ll get more money if they can take a picture. Then they’ll plan a multi-million dollar fish ladder….
I would really like to get the scoop on eDNA.
AND get the DNR fold back to tagging cats.
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I would really like to get the scoop on eDNA.
AND get the DNR fold back to tagging cats.
A few tidbits… eDNA testing is a water test that actually detects the presence of DNA that is shed off of fish. I think it’s fairly reliable in what it detects… but it has many limitations. We don’t know whether the DNA came from a live fish, dead fish, fish parts, etc. It also provides no reference as to how many fish might be in an area. And frankly, the relative number of positive tests isn’t even all that meaningful. We aren’t even sure how long the DNA can persist in the water before it can’t be detected. But real rudimentary tests suggest maybe 24-48 hrs.
The positive test could have come from live fish in the area sampled – wouldn’t be surprising as river conditions the last 12-18 months have been favorable for fish migration. It also may have come from other sources. I believe there is a fish market in Minneapolis that sells fresh dead Asian Carp.
The technology can work for low density fish that are always really hard to collect during sampling (for example, it would work well on endangered species that are usually low density). The problem is you don’t know exactly what you have…. and when you go out to get a real specimen for confirmation it is difficult to pull off. Asian carp are especially evasive of traditional fish sampling techniques. It’s like your chasing ghosts.
I wish the science was further along… and folks are working hard to improve the test. For now, this is all we have to go on.
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It’s like your chasing ghosts.
That’s the second time I’ve heard that phrase in the last three weeks.
Looks like it’s been around for 20 years.
Thanks Big E, I’m learning in my arm chair. 
Something else to fish for, I guess.
Where can I buy plankton for bait and how does one thread it on a hook?
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Where can I buy plankton for bait and how does one thread it on a hook?
Maybe we can make plankton sacks instead of spawn sacks. 
I catch squirrels with nut sacks.
I am sorry. It just popped into my head and was hanging out there. I hope that comment isn’t too inappropriate and ballsy. This is a good testes for the moderators tolerance.
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