Ocean Genomes (Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at University of the Western Australia). Ocean Genomes

Ocean Genomes is an an initiative enabled by Minderoo Foundation (Perth, Australia) OceanOmics Division and delivered in collaboration with the University of Western Australia (Perth, Australia) via the Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at UWA. Ocean Genomes works to accelerate and scale the production of openly accessible reference genome assemblies for marine vertebrates. We aim to facilitate the development of breakthrough eDNA-based biomonitoring applications while creating foundational resources for understanding the biology and ecology of marine vertebrates to inform their conservation and management. Ocean Genomes works with the Vertebrate Genome Project (VGP) to generate and release high-quality, near error-free reference genome assemblies for a representative species of all marine vertebrate Families. Additional Threatened or high-conservation value species may also be prioritised. Ocean Genomes aligns with Earth BioGenome Project (EBP) principles, guidelines, and policies, adopting best practices, and striving to meet quality metrics and standards. The Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at UWA includes fit-for-purpose laboratories including long (PacBio HiFi, Oxford Nanopore Technologies) and short (Illumina) read sequencing and compute capabilities. Our physical base in Perth, Western Australia allows a geographic focus for sampling in the Southern Hemisphere and more specifically the Indo-West Pacific marine region.