Monmouth Students Present Research at Mid-Atlantic Ocean Conservation Symposium

Monmouth University marine and environmental biology and policy students Diederik Boonman and Brooke van de Sande delivered presentations at the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Conservation Symposium, held on campus Oct. 1-3. Boonman detailed his work confirming the existence of a new invasive species of anemone on the Jersey Shore during a student lightning talk session, while van de Sande discussed her research on the use of environmental DNA (eDNA) as a tool for monitoring humpback whales on the event's "Innovative Approaches to Monitoring Ecosystem Health" panel.

The event was hosted by the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean (MARCO) with support from the Monmouth University Urban Coast Institute. Scroll below to view videos and abstracts from the presentations.

First Record of the Sea Anemone Actinia Equina Linnaeus (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) on the Mid-Atlantic Coast of the United States

PRESENTER: Diederik Boonman

ABSTRACT: Members of the genus Actinia are familiar to the rocky shore communities across much of the world. However, to date, no Actinia have been reported from the North American continent. Here, we report Actinia from an approximately 22 kilometer length of the New Jersey shoreline, where it was first discovered in 2021 on human-made rocky groins within an otherwise sandy shore ecosystem. Morphology and DNA barcoding data (mitochondrial CoI and nuclear ITS) indicate that these populations are A. equina. The presence of these populations close to major ports in New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia suggests a probable introduction from shipping activities.

Identifying Relationships Between Visual Sightings and eDNA (Environmental DNA) of Humpback Whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) Along the Coast of New Jersey

PRESENTER: Brooke van de Sande

ABSTRACT: Over the past decade, there has been an increase in marine mammal visual sightings along the coast of New Jersey. Specifically, juvenile humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are most frequently observed along the New Jersey coastline during the summer months, coinciding with their feeding season. The lack of sufficient research in this area, paired with recent increases in local mortality events, amplifies the need for effective management of cetaceans through continuous monitoring of habitat use and migration patterns. Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is an emerging monitoring tool that has successfully detected whales and other marine mammals over large spatial and temporal scales. In this study, we compared detections of humpback whales by eDNA metabarcoding to confirmed visual sightings. To assess how other factors affect eDNA signals, variables such as whale behavior, location, water temperature, and prey presence were recorded for each sample. The development of non-extractive techniques for monitoring whales may improve monitoring capacity and reduce potential observation biases when paired with visual surveys. The information gained from this research will not only allow for a greater understanding of how cetaceans utilize the New Jersey coastline but will also add to ongoing monitoring research that aims for better protection and conservation of these local humpback whales.