USFWS Opens New Whitney Genetics Lab

ONALASKA, WI– The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s La Crosse Resources Center held a dedication ceremony event in Onalaska, WI on Friday, April 5, 2013 to celebrate the newly constructed Whitney Genetics Laboratory and renovated Fisheries Resources Center.

Construction of the Whitney Genetics Laboratory was supported by the President’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative through the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework. The lab will use environmental DNA (eDNA) water samples for early detection of Asian carp in the Chicago Area Waterway System.  The lab is also working towards providing early detection in the Great Lakes, Mississippi and Ohio river systems.

To learn more about the science of eDNA, please watch the video below:

Using eDNA in the fight against Asian carp.