An Evaluation of Morphometrics and Meristics for Stock Separation of Pacific Herring (Clupea harengus pallasi)

Abstract

We conducted an analysis to determine if Pacific herring (Clupea harengus pallasi) stocks occurring in different localities in British Columbia waters could be separated using morphometric and meristic characters. Discriminant function analysis was applied to morphometric and meristic characters taken from food herring samples. Herring found in northern British Columbia waters were detectably different from those found in the Strait of Georgia. We recommend using meristic characters for separation on a broad geographic scale and using "best" morphometric characters for finer resolution within the established broader groups. We defined a set of 12 best morphometric characters for further large-scale studies.