LAUSR

The silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, is one of four carps farmed in China, and its natural resources have been critically declining in the middle and upper reaches of the Yangtze River. Here, we applied the environmental DNA (eDNA) methodology to detect silver carp during the spawning period in the Yangtze River to supplement traditional survey techniques for determining spawning grounds and the scale of breeding. The results showed that the variations in the concentration of silver carp eDNA were detected by quantitative PCR assay, and also suggested that its genetic diversity could be rapidly monitored using the eDNA method.