Protein variation in wild Atlantic salmon, with particular reference to southern Ireland

The extent of genetic variation in wild Atlantic salmon parr, Sulmo salur L., from river systems in Ireland, Iceland and eastern Canada, was investigated using starch gel electrophoresis. Within Ireland, seven polymorphic enzyme loci ( sAAT-4 *, GPI-1 *, IDDH-1 *, IDDH-2 *, IDHP-3 *, MDH-3 * and mMEP-2 *) were screened in nine different rivers and nine tributaries from the River Blackwater. Significant heterogeneity in gene frequencies occurred between riverine samples and between samples from tributaries of the River Blackwater. Variation between tributaries was as great as between rivers elsewhere in the country. Levels of population differentiation were comparable to those found in other regions throughout the range of the species, and temporal stability in gene frequencies was apparent when the results were compared with previously published data. Screening of riverine samples from Iceland and eastern Canada (Newfoundland and New Brunswick) allowed the Irish results to be considered in a broader context. Irish salmon cluster in the western European group, to which may be added Icelandic populations. Salmon from eastern Canada show a high level of genetic distinctiveness from the European group.