The 111th SFG meeting took place on Thursday 24 October 2024 as a hybrid event, giving our members the option of attending in-person at the University of Stirling (pre-registration required) or joining online via MS Teams.
Meeting overview and foreword from the guest coordinators
The meeting supported a mix of presentations and focused discussion on the current development and future implementation of practical DNA-based tools for freshwater assessment. The agenda was coordinated by SFG Guest Coordinators Pete Hollingsworth and Will Goodall-Copestake (RBGE) on behalf of the Scottish DNA Hub. The aim was to showcase and bridge work undertaken by a wide range of people from diverse backgrounds and career profiles across the SFG and Hub communities.
Pete and Will: "This event will bring together the Scottish Freshwater Group and Scottish DNA Hub communities to highlight the use of DNA tools for assessing freshwater systems. It aims to cover ongoing use of these tools, methodological advances, challenges, and opportunities for development and implementation at management and policy levels in Scotland."
Agenda – “DNA-based assessments of freshwater ecosystems: current status from methods to management”
09:15 In-person SFG meeting campus registration (prebooked Eventbrite ticket spaces only)
09:50 Online SFG meeting waiting room opens
10:00 SFG110 Welcome, Theme and Introductions
- Pauline Lang, Scottish Freshwater Group (@Scottish_FwGrp)
- Pete Hollingsworth & Will Goodall-Copestake (@TheBotanics @RBGE_Science), Scottish DNA Hub
Morning session - chaired by Pete Hollingsworth, with support from Kerr Adams and Rebecca Lewis
10:10 Laura Ingram (Illumina) - Trends and applications of eDNA in biodiversity monitoring
10:35 Bernd Haenfling (UHI Inverness) - An eDNA approach to assess biodiversity effects of beaver activity
11:00 James Macarthur (UHI Inverness) - Comparative effects of beaver activity and other environmental factors on spatial distributions of migratory fish
11:25 Colin Bean (NatureScot) - Using new technologies to monitor Pink salmon: a collaborative approach
11:50 David Cooke (James Hutton Institute) - Freshwater sampling for Oomycete pathogens of plants and animals
12:15 SFG poster presenter pitches with brief introductions (1 min each)
12:30 Lunch break and poster session (see poster list below)
Afternoon session - chaired by Will Goodall-Copestake, with support from Kerr Adams and Rebecca Lewis
14:00 Jennifer Dodd (Edinburgh Napier University) - Revisiting the RIVPACS reference condition through microscopy and metagenomics
14:25 Wille Duncan (Esks Citizen Science DNA project) - Macroinvertebrate DNA and citizen science
14:50 Lynsey Harper (Natural England) - Environmental DNA surveys for great crested newts: time for regulatory changes?
15:15 Alistair Duguid (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) - A regulator's perspective on what eDNA has done for us so far, and where we see future priorities
15:40 SFG & Hub Communities DNA Informed Discussion - mutual space for enabling Q&A, collaborative ideas and sharing thoughts on where we can go from here
16:00 SFG Reflections, Announcements & Meeting Close – with latest updates from the SFG Team
**Followed by a social drink in the Meadowpark Hotel for those SFG members able to join us**
Lunchtime poster presentations
- Alistair Duguid & Pauline Lang (Scottish Environment Protection Agency) – Future use of environmental genomics monitoring in SEPA
- Ayushi Arora (University of Edinburgh) – Wastewater treatment using a photocatalytic oxidation technique
- Andrada Opris (Edinburgh Napier University) – Pollination ecosystem service support by Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS)
- Eef Cauwelier (SG Marine Directorate) – Development of a genetic tool to assess run timing in juvenile Atlantic salmon
- Emily Simpson (University of Stirling) – Capacity of beaver created wetlands to store and emit greenhouse gases
- John Gilbey (SG Marine Directorate) – Genetic characterisation of farm to wild introgression in Scotland
- Ruaidhri Forrester (University of Glasgow) – Assessing the status of Britain’s rarest lacustrine fishes
All attending SFG members are welcome to bring posters on any topic related to freshwaters along on the day and we will do our best to accommodate them as well.
Next meeting of the Scottish Freshwater Group will be held on Thursday 24 April 2025. The plan for this event is to proceed as a full-day hybrid SFG meeting agenda.