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Genetic stock identification of Pacific salmon
Genetic stock identification (GSI) of Pacific salmon
Problem Statement
When salmon are caught in mixed-stock fisheries, it is necessary to determine
their stock composition so that effects on protected stocks can be quantified.
Stock identification can also be used to
estimate salmon growth and survival rates and to determine patterns of
ocean migration.
Critical Factors
- Pacific salmon from many different stocks intermingle in the ocean and rivers.
- To make informed management decisions (e.g., deciding how many fish to harvest),
fishery managers must know the composition of these intermingled stocks.
- The Northwest Fisheries Science Center's (NWFSC) Genetics Program uses a molecular
technique referred to as Genetic Stock Identification (GSI) to determine the stock
composition of fish caught in mixed-stock fisheries.
- GSI is also an essential tool for Endangered Species Act (ESA) evaluations,
ESA forensic investigations, and for international stock equity and allocation issues.
- In addition, GSI analyses are useful for understanding basic issues of salmon
ecology (e.g., the migration routes of salmon).
Status of Research
The GSI technique utilizes naturally-occurring variation in proteins or DNA
to identify salmon stocks. The NWFSC's Genetics Program has a modern molecular
laboratory that is producing large-scale genetic data sets for chinook salmon
and steelhead in the Columbia River basin. It is the primary West Coast source
of protein genetic data for chinook salmon. It also contributes protein genetic
data to regional databases for chum, sockeye, and coho salmon, as well as for
steelhead and cutthroat trout. Genetics Program scientists are pursuing several
GSI-related research projects which include 1) helping to determine stock allocation
between the U.S. and Canada under the Pacific Salmon Treaty, 2) analyzing the
composition of chinook salmon fisheries in California to determine the impacts
on listed Sacramento River chinook salmon, 3) helping to elucidate the ocean
migration patterns of listed salmon stocks by identifying the composition of groups
of migrating juvenile salmon captured from California to southern Alaska, and 4)
conducting computer simulations to compare different methods of stock identification.
Future Considerations
As long as harvest of mixed-salmon stocks continues and some salmon remain
listed under the ESA, managers will need tools that permit them to discriminate
precisely among Pacific salmon stocks. Use of the GSI technique for managing
non-salmonid marine fish species will also increase as refinements to DNA technology
for GSI applications are developed. NWFSC scientists will increase their use of computer
simulations and theoretical models to optimize implementation of these techniques in
future GSI analyses.
Key Players
Conservation Biology (CB) Division, NWFSC
Southwest Regional Office, NMFS
Northwest Regional Office, NMFS
Southwest Fisheries Science Center
Auke Bay Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center
Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
Fisheries Agency of Japan
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Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission
California Department of Fish & Game
Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans
Pacific Fisheries Managment Council
Pacific Salmon Commission
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Pacific Salmon Commission
National Biological Service, U.S. Geological Survey
University of Washington
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Contact: Dr. Michael Ford, Director, CB Division (206/860-5612)
NWFSC Issue Paper CB 6101 (HQ ID 301)
Issue Papers Home
last modified 2002-07-29
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