The Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute (UCI) is seeking volunteers for its fall eDNA BioBlitz, which aims to use genetic material left in the water by marine vertebrates to learn about their biodiversity and community composition in Monmouth County waters. Participation is easy, requires no training, and only takes a few minutes.
Participating community scientists will collect samples of ocean waters, bays, and brackish areas of rivers from the Manasquan Inlet to the Raritan Bayshore between Oct. 5-16. Sampling involves filling a bottle with the water, placing it on ice, and freezing it until it can be collected by Monmouth researchers. Bottles and coolers will be provided by the UCI. Volunteers can choose any site they’d like to sample and only need to collect one sample for the study.
The samples will then be analyzed in a lab for eDNA, trace genetic materials floating in the water that can indicate the recent presence of marine life ranging from sharks to microscopic bacteria. The data will build upon a collection effort that began last year, which found detections for at least 79 fish species in June and 68 species in September 2025 in the county’s ocean and estuarine waters. The new data will help develop a baseline understanding of the species living in our waters in the warmer summer months that can be compared to future results.
Participants and others interested are also encouraged come to Monmouth on Dec. 3 for a workshop where the results of the findings will be presented. Food and refreshments will be served.
To volunteer or learn more, contact UCI Resilience and Outreach Project Lead Richard Kane at rkane@monmouth.edu with your name, preferred contact information, availability to pick up an eDNA sampling kit, and availability to sample during the Oct. 5-16 period.
Since the project seeks to cover a geographic balance of areas across the Monmouth County coast, the project team may decline proposals to sample sites that are already covered.