New DNA technology used to find Yukon chinook salmon habitat

Like a team of sleuths following acoldtrail, Yukon researchers are collecting Chinook salmon DNA from local waterways using technology that could revolutionizethe way aquatic species inventories are conducted.

"It could be a game changer," saidKirstinDamudefrom the YukonResearch Centre about the technology. "We areexpecting that it will decrease the cost of initial screenings to try to determine where sensitive speciesare, and in what habitat."

Scientists filtered environment DNA (eDNA) from water samples taken from streams in the Upper Teslin,Nisutlin, andKusawa Lake drainages earlier this year. The idea is to determine which tributaries are nowused byChinook salmon, and which aren't.

Environment DNA is any genetic material left in the water after fish migrate, such as skin cells, feces or mucus.The fishcouldbe long gone by the time samples are takeneDNAcan still be collectedfroma waterway weeks later.

Researchers say that makes it a simple, non-invasive way to collect data on a variety of species.Anything that lives in or uses the waterleaves behind some eDNA.

"The[DNA]technology has been around for a few years now, but it's really just emerging from academia," said Michael Muller of Hemmera, a Whitehorse-based environmental consulting company partnered withthe Yukon Research Centre on the project.

"We thought, what better place to start than Chinook salmon?" Muller asked.

The scientists will spend the coming months analyzing the samples they've collected. They'll compare their results to previous salmon spawning studies to ensure the data is accurate.

If successful, the researchers predict eDNA technology could be used throughout the North to map species' habitat and guide decisions aboutdevelopment and land use.