Population Genetics of Sablefish in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea Using Microsatellites

Defining genetic stock structure of commercially important marine fishes is essential for sustainable fisheries management and conservation.  Sablefish, one of the most valuable commercial fish in the North Pacific Ocean, are thought to form northern and southern populations based upon tagging data, size at maturity, and growth rate patterns.  Despite these population differences, two unpublished genetic studies using allozyme loci did not detect any genetic stock structure throughout the species range.  However, modern DNA-based techniques, such as microsatellites, provide increased power to detect subtle population structure.  Here we report on the development and application of a new set of polymorphic microsatellite loci for sablefish.  The microsatellite markers were isolated and characterized, optimized in multiplex PCR panels for high-throughput genetic analysis, and a preliminary population genetics study of juvenile sablefish taken from the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea was conducted.  These new microsatellites should be useful for a wide array of fisheries management and conservation applications including identifying individuals and families for forensic and(or) parentage studies, defining population boundaries for stock assessments, and examining temporal patterns in genetic diversity relative to exploitation.