Distinguishing between resident and migrating Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) stocks by genetic stock composition analysis

The possibility of using the genetic stock identification (GSI) method to distinguish between individual Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) stocks and stock groups in Finnish catches was studied. In the Baltic Sea, the Atlantic salmon is a target of a mixed-stock fishery, and information about stock composition would be valuable for the management of the species. The salmon catches on the Finnish west coast consist of two seasonally variable components: a group of northern stocks migrating through the area to the Baltic main basin and the resident Neva salmon. The migratory component includes two endangered wild stocks (Tornionjoki and Simojoki). The allele frequency differences at four polymorphic loci among the stocks allowed reliable catch composition estimates to be made of the migratory and resident components; one stock (Oulujoki) from the northern group could also be identified with reasonable accuracy. Northern migrating stocks accounted for over half the catches at the time of this study. The estimate...