Providing a genetic baseline to determine different Atlantic Salmon populations in the Northwest Atlantic and its application to composition analysis in domestic and international fisheries

Description

Genetic analysis of populations of Atlantic salmon has broken new ground in stock identification; yet regional groups are often large and include populations at various stages of risk for extinction. This does not necessarily meet fisheries management needs and as a result there is increasing domestic and international pressure to explore options for improving the geographic resolution of salmon populations. This project will provide an improved genetic baseline for North American Atlantic salmon that includes increased coverage over areas poorly represented in the current baseline. This will enable a rapid and cost-effective solution to address client needs for stock identification and species identification all in a single accessible test.

Existing and new genomic resources will be combined to create an informative group of genetic markers that will enable rapid and cost-effective genetic analysis. By targeting rapidly evolving DNA associated with adaptation to local conditions, the ability to clarify fine scale and evolutionarily significant population structure will be enhanced. This new group of genetic markers will:

combine existing datasets with new data for regions poorly sampled at present (i.e. Labrador and Maritimes) to generate a more detailed North American baseline;
include genetic markers that will identify sex and species to specifically meet the needs of stock assessment and enforcement clients; and
be applied to the analysis of both domestic (i.e. Labrador) and international mixed stock harvests (i.e., Greenland, St. Pierre and Miquelon) for fisheries management purposes.

Scientific title for this project:

A range wide SNP baseline for improved genetic mixed stock analysis in Atlantic salmon in the Northwest Atlantic: application to domestic and international fisheries