Characterizing Antarctic fish assemblages using eDNA obtained from marine sponge bycatch specimens

Abstract International conservation goals have been set to mitigate Southern Ocean ecosystem deterioration, with multiple monitoring programs evaluating progress towards those goals. The scale of continuous monitoring through visual observations, however, is challenged by the remoteness of the area and logistical constraints. Given the ecological and economic importance of the Southern Ocean, it is imperative that additional biological monitoring approaches are explored. Recently, marine sponges, which are frequently caught and discarded in Southern Ocean fisheries, have been shown to naturally accumulate environmental DNA (eDNA). Here, we compare fish eDNA signals from marine sponge bycatch specimens to fish catch records for nine locations on the continental shelf (523.5–709 m) and 17 from the continental slope (887.5–1611.5 m) within the Ross Sea, Antarctica. We recorded a total of 20 fishes, with 12 fishes reported as catch, 18 observed by eDNA, and ten detected by both methods. While sampling location was the largest contributor to the variation observed in the dataset, eDNA obtained significantly higher species richness and displayed a significantly different species composition compared to fish catch records. Overall, eDNA read count correlated more strongly with fish abundance over biomass. Species composition correlated on a regional scale between methods, however eDNA signal strength was a low predictor of catch numbers at the species level. Our results highlight the potential of sponge eDNA monitoring in the Southern Ocean by detecting a larger fraction of the fish community compared to catch recordings, thereby increasing our knowledge of this understudied ecosystem and, ultimately, aiding conservation efforts.