Active eDNA Is More Cost‐Effective Than Fyke Nets or Passive eDNA Collection When Monitoring the Invasion of an Alien Freshwater Fish

ABSTRACT Monitoring alien species is critical to their management. However, early detection of invading alien freshwater fish can be challenging due to the difficulty of observing fish in low abundance. Environmental DNA (eDNA) has emerged as a new and potentially more sensitive method for sampling invasive species as compared to conventional methods, but the comparative financial cost is not often assessed. Adoption of eDNA by managers requires studies that showcase its cost‐effectiveness relative to conventional approaches. Here we use eDNA to assist in the management of an aggressive alien fish, the pearl cichlid (Geophagus brasiliensis), that is invading an urban river in south‐western Australia. We applied an occupancy model to survey data collected 6 years apart (2015, 2021) to assess how the species' distribution had changed and to evaluate whether an instream barrier had the potential to limit upstream invasion. To understand the effectiveness of eDNA, we used our model to quantify the relative efficiency (capture probability) of two eDNA sampling methods (active eDNA and passive eDNA) and fyke netting, as well as the number of replicate samples required per site to deliver >95% detection. We coupled the number of replicates needed with the cost per replicate to determine the cost‐efficiency of each method. We found that G. brasiliensis abundance was higher in downstream reaches in both survey years, and there was no evidence that its distribution had changed through time. However, G. brasiliensis was present above the instream barrier. Active eDNA sampling was considerably better at detecting G. brasiliensis than the other methods, making it the most cost‐effective method. Fyke nets came in a close second, and passive eDNA was a very distant third. Our results directly inform management in the study river and broadly highlight the cost‐effectiveness of active eDNA as a freshwater biosecurity tool. Early detection of invading alien freshwater fish can be challenging due to the difficulty observing fish in low abundance. To understand the effectiveness of eDNA sampling, we used our model to quantify the relative efficiency of two eDNA sampling methods (active eDNA, passive eDNA) and fyke netting as well as the number of replicate samples required per site to deliver >95% detection. Active eDNA sampling was considerably better at detecting an invading fish than the other methods making it the most cost‐effective method.