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West Coast Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network (WC-OBON)

Biomolecular technologies can transform marine management, but their development has been siloed, hindering long-term data integration. The West Coast OBON, part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, aims to harmonize methods and integrate data from ‘Omics platforms on the North American West Coast for sustainable marine management. Our goal is to facilitate the adoption and harmonization of molecular tools by biomonitoring programs to develop a comprehensive overview of marine ecosystem dynamics.

Objectives include aligning eDNA methods for better comparability of ocean observing platforms, developing bioinformatic workflows and metadata standards to support eDNA method adoption, and establishing best practices for large-scale biomolecular monitoring. Key short-term priorities are completing eDNA sampling methods comparison to identify optimal approaches, sequencing mitogenomes of ecologically important taxa to enhance DNA reference libraries, and disseminating recommended protocols for eDNA work. Example topics include the impacts of ocean acidification and hypoxia, detection and forecasting of harmful algal blooms (HABs), and fisheries and protected species assessments.

WC-OBON was introduced in Webinar 3 of the OBON Network Spotlight series – view on YouTube.

Lead Institute
Collaborating institutes

Project period

1 September, 2022 – 1 January, 2030 

Joined OBON in December, 2023
Find out more about the project
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