Alosa

Blueback Herring (Alosa aestivalis) populations throughout the East Coast have declined precipitously since the late 1980s and were listed as a Species of Concern in 2006 by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Natural resource agencies are attempting to restore this species to viable and sustainable levels with fry stockings cultured in hatcheries. To evaluate the long-term contribution of stockings to populations, agencies need an accurate method to track these stocking efforts. Genetic parentage-based tagging is recognized as a feasible means of assessing hatchery contribution of stocked fish to rivers of interest. However, Blueback Herring lack a reliable set of genetic markers to conduct parentage-based tagging (PBT). To this end, we analyzed previously described microsatellites as well as new microsatellite markers identified through NextGeneration sequencing to create a suite of 14 Blueback Herring markers useful for PBT. The markers were successful in parentage analysis for Blueback Herring collected from the Chowan River, North Carolina. An additional challenge in the management of Blueback Herring is the ability to phenotypically distinguish Blueback Herring and the closely related Alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus). Furthermore, recent studies provide evidence that these two species, collectively referred to as river herring, may be hybridizing with one another in some systems. Microsatellite marker AsaC334, developed by Julian and Bartron (2007), can be utilized to discriminate between the two species, as well as to identify their F1 hybrids, thereby providing another genetic tool for hatchery management.

Knowledge of the scale of population structure is a prerequisite for designating conservation units. American shad ( Alosa sapidissima ) are of increasing conservation concern, but the scale of population structure within the Canadian portion of the species range is unknown. Using 13 microsatellite loci, we examined the partitioning of genetic variation within four and among 12 Canadian drainages. We detected significant (p < 0.05) and temporally stable genetic differentiation among all drainages, supporting the hypothesis that rivers support genetically distinct populations. However, Bayesian methods identified seven clusters and provided evidence for shad metapopulation structure. We observed a significant (p < 0.01) pattern of isolation by distance (IBD) among all drainages. A strong linear IBD (r = 0.98) was observed among rivers that were outside the Bay of Fundy (BoF). A hypothesized counterclockwise migration route explained a greater proportion of genetic variation (r ...

The phylogenetic relationship among five shad species (Alosa caspia, A. fallax nilotica, Alosa maeotica, Alosa immaculata, Alosa tanaica) from Turkish marine waters was investigated with mitochondrial DNA polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.The six genesegments, NADH 5/6, NADH 3/4cytochrome b, COX, 16 SrRNA and D-Loop,of mtDNA amplified by PCR were digested with seven restriction enzymes, BsurI, AluI, EheI, Hin6I, RsaI, XhoI Bsh1236I,respectively.When all the six genes were combined together for phylogenetic analysis, a total of 45 haplotypes were detected from the five shad species, and the average haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity within species were 0.8809 and 0.0022 respectively. The average nucleotide diversity and nucleotide divergence among species were 0.009248 and 0.007080 respectively. The highest genetic divergence was observed between A. caspiaand A. maeotica (0.013727) and the lowest between A. immaculataand A. tanaica (0.003073...

The phylogenetic relationship among five shad species (Alosa caspia, A. fallax nilotica, Alosa maeotica, Alosa immaculata, Alosa tanaica) from Turkish marine waters was investigated with mitochondrial DNA polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism.The six genesegments, NADH 5/6, NADH 3/4cytochrome b, COX, 16 SrRNA and D-Loop,of mtDNA amplified by PCR were digested with seven restriction enzymes, BsurI, AluI, EheI, Hin6I, RsaI, XhoI Bsh1236I,respectively.When all the six genes were combined together for phylogenetic analysis, a total of 45 haplotypes were detected from the five shad species, and the average haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity within species were 0.8809 and 0.0022 respectively. The average nucleotide diversity and nucleotide divergence among species were 0.009248 and 0.007080 respectively. The highest genetic divergence was observed between A. caspiaand A. maeotica (0.013727) and the lowest between A. immaculataand A. tanaica (0.003073...