Fishery-Induced Selection for Slow Somatic Growth in European Eel

Both theoretical and experimental studies have shown that fishing mortality can induce adaptive responses in body growth rates of fishes in the opposite direction of natural selection. We compared body growth rates in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from three Mediterranean stocks subject to differ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS ONE
Main Authors: Bevacqua, Daniele, Capoccioni, Fabrizio, Melià, Paco, Vincenzi, Simone, Pujolar, José M., De Leo, Giulio A., Ciccotti, Eleonora
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science 2012
Subjects:
Research Article
Anguilla anguilla
European eel
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3358250
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22666373
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0037622
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Summary:Both theoretical and experimental studies have shown that fishing mortality can induce adaptive responses in body growth rates of fishes in the opposite direction of natural selection. We compared body growth rates in European eel (Anguilla anguilla) from three Mediterranean stocks subject to different fishing pressure. Results are consistent with the hypotheses that i) fast-growing individuals are more likely to survive until sexual maturity than slow-growing ones under natural conditions (no fishing) and ii) fishing can select for slow-growing individuals by removing fast-growing ones. Although the possibility of human-induced evolution seems remote for a panmictic species like such as the European eel, further research is desirable to assess the implications of the intensive exploitation on this critically endangered fish.

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