NatureMetrics and Dartmouth Ocean Technologies partner to provide autonomous marine eDNA sampling technologies for biodiversity measurements at scale

Published: 18th April 2023

NatureMetrics, a leading nature intelligence and environmental DNA (eDNA) company, and Dartmouth Ocean Technologies (DOT), a manufacturer of cutting-edge oceanographic instruments, have announced their new partnership at the Ocean Business 2023 exhibition. This collaboration is set to revolutionise the way marine industries can assess ecosystems and brings about significant advancements in the field by offering autonomous collection of environmental DNA from marine environments- reducing the cost and enhancing the safety of environmental surveys.

This partnership brings together the expertise of two leading organisations in their respective fields, enabling them to deliver solutions that will aid better measurement of marine ecosystems. NatureMetrics’ expertise in eDNA analysis, combined with DOT’s innovative oceanographic instruments, will provide a comprehensive solution that will make a significant contribution to the global effort for marine industries to effectively monitor and manage biodiversity.

NatureMetrics is at the forefront of eDNA analysis for commercially scalable application, a revolutionary technique that allows for the detection of aquatic species by analysing DNA present in the environment. This method has significant advantages over traditional sampling methods, as it is non-invasive and provides a more accurate and comprehensive picture of the biodiversity in a given area. NatureMetrics has worked with clients across multiple sectors, including businesses and governments, providing them with the necessary tools to manage and conserve aquatic ecosystems using the latest NatureMetrics insights.

Dartmouth Ocean Technologies has been a leader in the design and manufacture of oceanographic instruments since its inception in 2019. The company’s innovative products are used by researchers and commercial organisations worldwide, providing them with the tools they need to collect accurate data and make informed decisions. DOT’s instruments are designed to operate in challenging environments, including the deep ocean, providing researchers with real-time data that is critical to understanding the ocean’s dynamics.

By combining their expertise, the two organisations can provide marine industries – from offshore energy industries to oceanographic and fisheries organisations – with the biodiversity measurement tools they need to make informed decisions about how to manage their marine assets.

Commenting on the partnership, Dr Samuel Stanton, Head of Marine at NatureMetrics, said, “We are thrilled to join forces with DOT, as their cutting-edge oceanographic instruments perfectly complement our existing eDNA technologies whilst bringing new strengths to the autonomous collection of eDNA samples from marine environments. This partnership represents a significant step forward in the practicality and benefit of eDNA technology to marine industries as we can now provide a broader range of sampling devices to unlock nature insights from a much wider range of marine ecosystems. By combining our conventional manual eDNA sampling methods with autonomous sampling in collaboration with DOT, we can offer new opportunities to collect data in locations that was previously not feasible, whilst reducing the need for extensive man hours, improving ROI for marine clients whilst generating robust datasets on biodiversity. This collaboration has the potential to revolutionise the way we approach marine biodiversity management, and we look forward to the positive impact it will have on the industry.”

Arnold Furlong, of Dartmouth Ocean Technologies, added, “We are excited to work with NatureMetrics, who are at the forefront of eDNA analysis. By combining our expertise, we can provide managers and conservationists with a comprehensive solution that will enable them to make informed decisions about how best to conserve the ocean’s ecosystems.”

The partnership between NatureMetrics and DOT will bring together two innovative companies and enable them to deliver a comprehensive solution that will contribute significantly to the global effort to conserve the ocean’s biodiversity. We look forward to seeing the results of this collaboration and the positive impact it will have on marine biodiversity measurement.

For more information about NatureMetrics and DOT, visit naturemetrics.com/insights and dartmouthocean.com.

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