Hawai`i Cnidarian Reference Library 20260301

This project aimed to increase capacity for early detection of and response to marine invasive species thereby protecting reefs of the Hawaiian archipelago. Our objective, to build an eDNA reference library of known native and invasive Cnidaria present in Hawai’i (and adjacent Pacific island chains), fills gaps in the existing NCBI database of genetic barcodes necessary to develop effective monitoring tools. A more complete molecular reference library allows for eDNA detection from regular water sampling which is the most efficient technique for addressing thousands of miles of coastline across nearshore depth gradients.