In stunning East Iceland, the village Seyðisfjörður lies tucked in a valley at the end of a long fjord. Archaeological evidence supports human settlement in this region at least 1000 years ago, marking the first human activity in the fjord. Viking settlers fished and dumped refuse into the fjord, and likely hunted seals and seabirds. Today the fjord is heavily utilized by humans. The only ferry between Iceland and Europe departs weekly from the port. Cruise ships dock in the fjord, up to 3 per day. Until 2026, a fish processing plant churned through thousands of tons of cod. Aquatic life is abundant. Humpback whales are often seen feeding in the fjord, along with seals and porpoises. Seabirds thrive here, including the iconic Atlantic puffin. Gannets, fulmars and kittiwakes soar above the sea where eider and harlequin ducks dabble along the shore.
The local community of Seyðisfjörður and to a wider extent the coastal town of all of Iceland, depend on a healthy marine environment for fisheries, recreation, tourism and wildlife. Yet despite living alongside it, we often know surprisingly little about what is happening beneath the surface or how conditions change through time. By establishing a long-term baseline before major changes occur, the project provides information that can help future researchers, managers and local residents better understand the fjords and the ecosystems that support both people and wildlife. In this way the value of the project extends beyond academic research and makes a meaningful contribution in a wider context for people and wildlife.
Image: The mouth of Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland. Photo by Emmett Smith.
Some research projects are well-planned, while others are put together based on the needs of the moment. The work being undertaken by an international group of scientists linked via the Skálanes Nature and Heritage Center, East Iceland, is of the latter. Skálanes acts as a home base for multiple undergraduate student field research experiences, hosting groups for a few days up to a few months. In 2022, the owners of Skálanes, Dr. Ólafur Pétersson and Rannveig Thorhallsdottir, reached out to some of the faculty who lead these programs with an ask. Atlantic salmon aquaculture had been proposed for their fjord. Could we possibly begin a research project that would examine the current aquatic biodiversity of the fjord, and then monitor the changes that would likely occur once the aquaculture was in place? We jumped at the chance. Quickly putting together our collective expertise in marine science and environmental DNA, faculty from Southern Connecticut State University, Earlham College, Liverpool John Moores University and Skálanes proposed a sampling plan and worked out logistics. We collected our first set of data in 2022 – water quality parameters, nutrients, and environmental DNA – from four locations within the fjord and one location in a “control” fjord directly to the north. As we continued to build the research project, we added GoPro video footage and zooplankton analysis of our sampling sites. We are now planning to sample additional fjords with existing aquaculture to continue building a comprehensive data set representative of East Iceland.
Image: Two undergraduate students collecting water samples for eDNA analysis in 2024. Photo by Emmett Smith.
Our groups were lucky enough to have internal funding to begin the project, allowing us to collect samples right away. However, we have not yet been able to sequence our eDNA samples. Dr. Emmett Smith is looking to change that. He has been working with undergraduate students at Earlham College to identify the best sequencing methods. In the summer of 2024, he worked with three talented students to try and enrich the fish DNA present in our samples while minimizing the bacterial DNA so we could perform Illumina sequencing. Unfortunately, the team was not successful. This summer, he has turned his sights to Nanopore sequencing. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment to dive into Nanopore sequencing, and I think this is it.” Emmett is testing different barcoding strategies and determining what sequencing method(s) will give the best result. “What appeals to me about Nanopore sequencing is that we can perform every step with our own hands, so if there’s a problem we know where it happened and can try to solve it immediately.” The team is working together to create a molecular lab space in downtown Seyðisfjörður for quick processing of samples. Nanopore sequencing would be part of that lab. “I would love for the folks living in and visiting Seyðisfjörður to stop into the lab space and see a screen showing the real-time results of sequencing, from samples taken just outside their doorsteps. Since we are collecting this data for the community, getting anyone who wants to be involved, at any step, will be great.”
Ólafur Pétersson, co-owner of Skàlanes, says “People have lived, fished, hunted, traded and worked in Seyðisfjörður for over a thousand years. What makes the project valuable is it is not seeking an answer about a single question, but that it contributes to creating a long term set of data of how a living fjord is changing spatially and temporally. By a combination of eDNA, water quality measurements and ecological monitoring, we are building a baseline that future researchers, managers and local communities can use to understand what is happening beneath and above the surface. Just as importantly, the project demonstrates how an independent field station, working alongside universities, the local community and students, can generate meaningful scientific data in a remote part of the Atlantic Ocean.”