Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) across the North Atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture
Demand for lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus ) has increased exponentially over the last decade, both for their roe, which is used as a caviar substitute, and increasingly also as cleaner fish to control sea lice in salmon farming. The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN and there are g...
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crpeerj:10.7717/peerj.5974 2024-09-30T14:34:41+00:00 Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) across the North Atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture Whittaker, Benjamin Alexander Consuegra, Sofia Garcia de Leaniz, Carlos Marine Harvest Scotland European Regional Development Fund (SMARTAQUA Operation) 2018 http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5974 https://peerj.com/articles/5974.pdf https://peerj.com/articles/5974.xml https://peerj.com/articles/5974.html en eng PeerJ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ PeerJ volume 6, page e5974 ISSN 2167-8359 journal-article 2018 crpeerj https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5974 2024-09-17T04:34:20Z Demand for lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus ) has increased exponentially over the last decade, both for their roe, which is used as a caviar substitute, and increasingly also as cleaner fish to control sea lice in salmon farming. The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN and there are growing concerns that over-exploitation of wild stocks and translocation of hatchery-reared lumpfish may compromise the genetic diversity of native populations. We carried out a comparative analysis of genetic and phenotypic variation across the species’ range to estimate the level of genetic and phenotypic differentiation, and determined patterns of gene flow at spatial scales relevant to management. We found five genetically distinct groups located in the West Atlantic (USA and Canada), Mid Atlantic (Iceland), East Atlantic (Faroe Islands, Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Denmark), English Channel (England) and Baltic Sea (Sweden). Significant phenotypic differences were also found, with Baltic lumpfish growing more slowly, attaining a higher condition factor and maturing at a smaller size than North Atlantic lumpfish. Estimates of effective population size were consistently low across the North East Atlantic (Iceland, Faroe Islands and Norway), the area where most wild lumpfish are fished for their roe, and also for the aquaculture industry. Our study suggests that some lumpfish populations are very small and have low genetic diversity, which makes them particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation and genetic introgression. To protect them we advocate curtailing fishing effort, closing the breeding cycle of the species in captivity to reduce dependence on wild stocks, restricting the translocation of genetically distinct populations, and limiting the risk of farm escapes. Article in Journal/Newspaper Faroe Islands Iceland North Atlantic North East Atlantic PeerJ Publishing Canada Faroe Islands Norway PeerJ 6 e5974 |
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English |
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Demand for lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus ) has increased exponentially over the last decade, both for their roe, which is used as a caviar substitute, and increasingly also as cleaner fish to control sea lice in salmon farming. The species is classified as Near Threatened by the IUCN and there are growing concerns that over-exploitation of wild stocks and translocation of hatchery-reared lumpfish may compromise the genetic diversity of native populations. We carried out a comparative analysis of genetic and phenotypic variation across the species’ range to estimate the level of genetic and phenotypic differentiation, and determined patterns of gene flow at spatial scales relevant to management. We found five genetically distinct groups located in the West Atlantic (USA and Canada), Mid Atlantic (Iceland), East Atlantic (Faroe Islands, Ireland, Scotland, Norway and Denmark), English Channel (England) and Baltic Sea (Sweden). Significant phenotypic differences were also found, with Baltic lumpfish growing more slowly, attaining a higher condition factor and maturing at a smaller size than North Atlantic lumpfish. Estimates of effective population size were consistently low across the North East Atlantic (Iceland, Faroe Islands and Norway), the area where most wild lumpfish are fished for their roe, and also for the aquaculture industry. Our study suggests that some lumpfish populations are very small and have low genetic diversity, which makes them particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation and genetic introgression. To protect them we advocate curtailing fishing effort, closing the breeding cycle of the species in captivity to reduce dependence on wild stocks, restricting the translocation of genetically distinct populations, and limiting the risk of farm escapes. |
author2 |
Marine Harvest Scotland European Regional Development Fund (SMARTAQUA Operation) |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Whittaker, Benjamin Alexander Consuegra, Sofia Garcia de Leaniz, Carlos |
spellingShingle |
Whittaker, Benjamin Alexander Consuegra, Sofia Garcia de Leaniz, Carlos Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) across the North Atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture |
author_facet |
Whittaker, Benjamin Alexander Consuegra, Sofia Garcia de Leaniz, Carlos |
author_sort |
Whittaker, Benjamin Alexander |
title |
Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) across the North Atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture |
title_short |
Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) across the North Atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture |
title_full |
Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) across the North Atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture |
title_fullStr |
Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) across the North Atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture |
title_full_unstemmed |
Genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) across the North Atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture |
title_sort |
genetic and phenotypic differentiation of lumpfish ( cyclopterus lumpus) across the north atlantic: implications for conservation and aquaculture |
publisher |
PeerJ |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5974 https://peerj.com/articles/5974.pdf https://peerj.com/articles/5974.xml https://peerj.com/articles/5974.html |
geographic |
Canada Faroe Islands Norway |
geographic_facet |
Canada Faroe Islands Norway |
genre |
Faroe Islands Iceland North Atlantic North East Atlantic |
genre_facet |
Faroe Islands Iceland North Atlantic North East Atlantic |
op_source |
PeerJ volume 6, page e5974 ISSN 2167-8359 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5974 |
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PeerJ |
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6 |
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e5974 |
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1811638219285987328 |