Genetic analysis reveals two stocks of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) in the northwestern Indian Ocean

Abstract

Skipjack (SJT) ( Katsuwonus pelamis ) is a medium-sized, pelagic, highly dispersive tuna species that occurs widely across tropical and subtropical waters. SJT constitute the largest tuna fishery in the Indian Ocean and are currently managed as a single stock. Patterns of genetic variation in a mtDNA gene and six microsatellite loci were examined to test for stock structure in the northwestern Indian Ocean. 324 individuals were sampled from five major fishing grounds around Sri Lanka and from single sites in the Maldive Islands and the Laccadive Islands. Phylogenetic reconstruction of mtDNA revealed two coexisting divergent clades in the region. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of mtDNA data revealed significant genetic differentiation among sites (ΦST = 0.2029, P < 0.0001), also supported by spatial AMOVA results. AMOVA of microsatellite data also showed significant differentiation among most sampled sites (FST = 0.0256, P < 0.001), consistent with the mtDNA pattern. STRUCTURE analysis of the microsatellite data revealed two differentiated stocks. While both marker types examined identified two genetic groups, microsatellite analysis indicates that the sampled SJT are likely to represent individuals sourced from discrete breeding grounds that are mixed in feeding grounds in Sri Lankan waters.