The ocean is undoubtedly the least explored biome on planet earth. These shortcomings in research and exploration of marine biodiversity in our local waters can be attributed to the high costs of daily surveying. To address this, NOAA has tasked our team with the design, construction, and testing of a proof of concept for an environmental DNA sampler. A fully autonomous model with multi-day capacity would slash the number of trips surveying teams need to make to areas of interest for sampling. Following extensive research on sampling methods and existing technologies, a working single day proof of concept needed to be developed. Work on the proof of concept was done with modular design and scalability in mind. Following the completion and presentation of the single day proof of concept, multiple subsystems including the reel, filter, sealing, and preservation mechanism will be transferred to our team’s reach goal of a multi-day deployable product. This along with a customized buoy to house the sampler are being designed and constructed now. With the completion of a multi-day prototype in sight, the team is looking forward to deploying the sampler and testing operations in local waters.