Canada's Ocean Supercluster said last week it is helping to fund the OceanDNA System, a project designed to change the way scientists monitor the ocean.

With a total project value of $4.9 million, the Supercluster has provided $2.2 million in funding to the project with the balance of funding coming from project partners.

The OceanDNA project is being led by eDNAtec Inc., a St. John’s company dedicated to applying genomics to the study of marine life. The other partners are Petroleum Research Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut Fisheries Association, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

“Canada’s Ocean Supercluster is excited to announce its newest Technology Leadership Project called the OceanDNA System Project," Mehrdad Hajibabaei, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of eDNAtec, said in a statement. "With activity led out of St. John’s, this project brings together partners from different ocean sectors across the country to not only revolutionize the assessment, monitoring, and characterization of the ocean, but also build capabilities, create jobs and economic opportunities through commercialization.”

The Supercluster statement said the project will create 17 jobs to support the research and development activity ].

The OceanDNA System has applications across ocean sectors and could be used to help inform sustainable ocean management and activity, said the statement. By reading DNA from environmental samples, such as sediment or sea water, a comprehensive range of organisms can be identified, from bacteria to marine mammals, yielding a complete picture of an ecosystem. 

EDNAtec’s technology achieves proven cost reductions, strengthens environmental stewardship, enhances safety and supports regulatory compliance, the statement said.