Dr Eric Raes1,2, Pascal Craw3, Marcelle Ayad1,2, Laura Baseggio3, Shannon Corrigan1,2, Matthew Fraser1,2, Jordan Goetze1,2, Priscila Goncalves1,2, Sahan Jayasinghe3, TJ Lawson3, Lachie Moscat3, Sachit Rajbhandari3, Cameron Semple3, Katherine Tattersall3, Jack Waller3, . OceanOmics Centre2, Michael Bunce1,2
1Minderoo Foundation, , Australia, 2The University of Western Australia, , Australia, 3CSIRO, , Australia
Biography:
I am a marine ecologist with expertise in integrating genomic tools and molecular data into conservation and fisheries management practices to enable rapid, reliable ocean health monitoring. My research spans microbiology, biogeochemistry, and marine ecology across tropical, temperate, and polar environments, leveraging a multidisciplinary approach to transform complex data into actionable insights. Operationally my work ethics focus on cultivating cross-sector collaborations, ensuring compliance with ethical and environmental standards, and advancing innovative, impactful, and scalable technologies. I am passionate about democratizing science, operationalizing field work and capacity building in around the Indian Ocean rim.
Abstract:
Monitoring marine biodiversity at ocean scale remains a major challenge due to the vastness of the ocean. The Globalising Marine Biodiversity Observations (GloMBO) partnership between CSIRO and the Minderoo Foundation addresses this challenge by integrating autonomous environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling into routine vessel operations, enabling sustained, large-scale biodiversity monitoring.
To date, GloMBO has completed six voyages aboard Australia's national blue-water research vessel RV Investigator, together with an 8,000 km transect aboard Pangaea Ocean Explorer from Auckland, New Zealand, to Exmouth, Western Australia. Autonomous eDNA sampling was conducted every two to three hours across these voyages, generating one of Australia's largest continuous marine genomic datasets. Samples were analysed using multi-marker metabarcoding spanning the Tree of Life to characterise biodiversity from microbes to megafauna.
Through collaboration with the Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at the University of Western Australia and OBIS Australia, genomic observations and associated metadata generated by GloMBO are being published in FAIRe (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable) formats, ensuring broad accessibility and interoperability. We present biodiversity observations from approximately 500 eDNA samples collected while vessels were underway across the Australian continent, revealing large-scale patterns in marine biodiversity, including the distribution of threatened IUCN-listed species and invasive taxa.
These results demonstrate the potential of autonomous eDNA sampling to transform routine maritime operations into continuous biodiversity observatories, providing a scalable framework for marine conservation, ecosystem management and global ocean observing.