Stock discrimination of American monkfish in northwest Atlantic using mitochondiral DNA

The American monkfish (Lophius americanus) supports one of the most lucrative fin fisheries in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. Despite a paucity of life history, genetic or behavioral data, monkfish management in the US divides the species range into Northern and Southern Management Areas (NMA and SMA). However, little is known of stock structure, an understanding of which is critically important to population assessment. The purpose of this study was to elucidate genetic differences between the two monkfish management areas. Monkfish were collected throughout the year from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras during the NOAA Living Marine Resources Cooperative Science Center research cruise, NEFSC Cooperative Monkfish and annual trawl survey. Preliminary studies revealed three distinct genetic clades (L.a. I, L.a. II, and L.a. III) that were spatially distributed and not associated with management areas. Eukaryotic primers were designed to universally determine PCR reliability and verification of whether outliers observed were blackfin monkfish (Lophius gastrophysus). Fin clips and liver samples of additional fish were taken and preserved in RNAlater ffor further mitochondrial DNA analysis.