Genetic variation of rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus) and shortraker rockfish (S. borealis) inferred from allozymes

• Main Authors: Hawkins, Sharon L., Heifetz, Jonathan, Kondzela, Christine M., Pohl, John E., Wilmot, Richard L., Katugin, Oleg N., Tuponogov, Vladimir N.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: 2005
• Subjects: Biology; Ecology; Fisheries; Bering Sea; Gulf of Alaska; Kamchatka; Alaska; Aleutian Islands
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1834/26215

Rougheye rockfish (Sebastes aleutianus) and shortraker rockfish (Sebastes borealis) were collected from the Washington coast, the Gulf of Alaska, the southern Bering Sea, and the eastern Kamchatka coast of Russia (areas encompassing most of their geographic distribution) for population genetic analyses. Using starch gel electrophoresis, we analyzed 1027 rougheye rockfish and 615 shortraker rockfish for variation at 29 proteincodingloci. No genetic heterogeneity was found among shortraker rockfish throughout the sampled regions, although shortraker in the Aleutian Islands region, captured at deeper depths, were found to be significantly smaller in size than the shortraker caught in shallower waters fromSoutheast Alaska. Genetic analysis of the rougheye rockfish revealed two evolutionary lineages that exist in sympatry with little or no gene f low between them. When analyzedas two distinct species, neither lineage exhibited heterogeneity among regions. Sebastes aleutianus seems toinhabit waters throughout the Gulf of Alaska and more southern waters, whereas S. sp. cf. aleutianus inhabitswaters throughout the Gulf of Alaska, Aleutian Islands, and Asia. The distribution of the two rougheye rockfish lineages may be related to depth where they are sympatric. The paler color morph, S. aleutianus, is found more abundantly in shallower waters and the darker color morph,Sebastes sp. cf. aleutianus, inhabits deeper waters. Sebastes sp. cf. aleutianus, also exhibited a significantlyhigher prevalence of two parasites, N. robusta and T. trituba, than did Sebastes aleutianus, in the 2001 samples, indicating a possible difference in habitat and (or) resource use between the two lineages.