IOCS leads new study detecting sharks, skates, and rays in Shinnecock Bay, New York
June 10, 2026
Left: sand tiger shark (photo: Chris Paparo); Center: smooth dogfish (photo: Chris Paparo);
Right: clearnose skate (photo: Elizabeth Sciorelli).
IOCS recently led a new environmental DNA (eDNA) study in Shinnecock Bay focusing on species of elasmobranchs, a group of cartilaginous fishes that includes sharks, skates, and rays. Using an elasmobranch-targeted eDNA methodology, the study found 12 shark, skate, and ray species in just two years—three times the number our team documented during a decade of traditional benthic trawl surveys. The eDNA survey collected water samples from May through October 2021, and from July through September 2023, alongside ShiRP’s long-running benthic trawl surveys.
Elasmobranchs are an integral part of ocean ecosystems worldwide. They are also a particularly vulnerable group, as many species grow slowly, mature late, and produce relatively few young, making their populations slow to recover from declines. Low abundance and high mobility also make sharks, skates, and rays difficult to detect using traditional survey methods. eDNA provides a sensitive, non-invasive way to monitor these elusive and conservation-relevant species using only the genetic material they leave behind in the water.
The findings of this study revealed that Shinnecock Bay supports greater elasmobranch diversity than our team had previously documented using trawl survey data. These findings highlight that eDNA can be particularly useful as a tool for detecting vulnerable and elusive species groups and can greatly strengthen monitoring and conservation efforts for elasmobranchs.
The study was led by Elizabeth Sciorilli and coauthored by Elizabeth Suter, Maria M. Grima, Sara Cernadas-Martín, and Ellen K. Pikitch.
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