January 7, 2019 — Have you ever thought about testing your DNA through companies like 23andMe or Ancestry.com?
Geneticists here in Alaska are using that same technology on fish, but they’re not looking for their ancestors. Instead, they’re using it to trace back where marine species are born and where they’re caught.
The administrative headquarters for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game off of Raspberry Road in Anchorage is best known as an office building, but tucked inside is one of the most advanced genetics labs on the Pacific Rim.
“We have one instrument in particular that is the same instrument that is used by 23andMe and Ancestry.com,” said lab supervisor Heather Hoyt.
But unlike those organizations, its not human DNA that Hoyt and her team are testing. They’re focused mainly on fish.