The Idaho Department of Agriculture has requested an exemption from competition for the purchase of Environmental DNA (eDNA) Molecular Testing Services. Please note: This is a Sole Source Notification. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture (ISDA) conducts water sampling on Idaho waters statewide throughout the season. In 2023 and 2024, quagga mussel veligers (the larval form of the invasive species) were detected in the Snake River. After the detection in 2024, more advanced testing was initiated to delimit the extent of the outbreak. eDNA testing is useful for detecting the presence or absence of a species before it becomes visible in the water sample. Environmental DNA testing helped the agency understand the extent of the invasive species outbreak and identified for all stakeholders the areas where quagga DNA was and was not present in the river. That level of certainty is the foundation of good decision making in an invasive species outbreak, and it is made possible by environmental DNA testing. For the 2024 quagga response, ISDA and the University of Idaho came to an agreement for eDNA testing services through the U of I analytical lab in Hagerman, Idaho. The Hagerman lab has the capability of doing eDNA molecular testing, but they do not have expertise in this type of testing. U of I Hagerman began the testing and completed a handful of samples for ISDA, but they were not confident in the results they were finding. At that point, ISDA turned to Pisces Molecular, a lab based in Boulder, CO, to complete eDNA testing for the 2024 quagga outbreak. ISDA is familiar with Pisces Molecular because both organizations serve on the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species, an advisory committee made up of state regulators, industry representatives, environmental groups, and laboratories engaged in collaborative problem solving. Pisces Molecular has a research focus on zebra and quagga mussels. Since no other state has tried to control the spread of these species, Idaho is in an emerging technology space where we are developing knowledge in real time. Our results are informing the work of the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species.
