Species-specific detection of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) eDNA in the Bering and Chukchi seas during the MR22-06C research cruise

To provide an overview of the distribution of polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) in the Bering and Chukchi Seas, eDNA samples collected during the MR 22-06C cruise, which conducted by the 'R/V Mirai' of Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, were analyzed. eDNA samples were collected by filtering surface seawater and seawater obtained from the middle or bottom layers. Filtration was performed using a cartridge filter (Sterivex HV, 0.45 m pore size; Millipore, Burlington, MA, USA). The DNA of both species was quantified in environmental DNA (eDNA) samples utilizing a species-specific TaqMan qPCR assay.