The National Seafood Inspection Laboratory, located in Pascagoula, MS, is the analytical laboratory who supports the Seafood Inspection Program. The microbiology team is responsible for analyzing fishmeal, fish oil and other fisheries by-products for both bacterial and ruminant contaminants. The team has also performed Whole Genome Sequencing on Salmonella spp.isolates. In response to the new NOAA Omics Strategy that was released in February of 2020 NOAA laboratories are now venturing into new omics-based analyses. Specifically, focus is shifting to eDNA analyses that will be essential to increasing sampling efficiency, ecosystem assessments, and decreasing environmental impacts. However, it can be overwhelming trying to determine where or how to start, especially if this is a new technique to the laboratory. Recently, the National Seafood Inspection Laboratory embarked on a pilot project to learn how to do all things related to eDNA. The goal of this project was to obtain water samples from the Gulf of Mexico to identify ecosystem diversity. Through gel images and sequencing analyses this poster will discuss the approach taken, why certain decisions were made, and which choices ultimately led to the success of the pilot project.