Genetic stock identification of overwintering chum salmon in the North Pacific Ocean

Understanding stock and age-specific seasonal migrations of Pacific salmon during ocean residence is essential to both the conservation and management of this important resource. Based upon 11 microsatellites assayed on 265 individuals collected aboard international research surveys during winter 2009, we found substantial differences in the age-specific origin of chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) in the North Pacific Ocean. Overall, Asian stocks dominated the collections, however, ocean age 1 fish were primarily of Japanese origin and ocean age 2–3+ fish were predominantly of Russian origin. These results suggest that cohorts of chum salmon stocks migrate nonrandomly in the North Pacific Ocean and adjacent seas.