Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: California
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

The goal of this research is the development of environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques and methods for monitoring endangered tidewater goby presence/absence to provide an innovative and improved set of tools for detecting tidewater goby in Caltrans project areas and perform specified surveys. The new eDNA techniques and methods will help develop a survey protocol that detects tidewater goby with higher confidence. Improved survey techniques will help Caltrans save money and avoid delays during maintenance and construction by reducing time spent in minimizing endangered species consultations to those situations where they are necessary.