Genetic diversity and structure of circumtropical almaco jack,Seriola rivoliana: tool for conservation and management

The almaco jack, Seriola rivoliana, is a circumtropical pelagic fish of importance both in commercial fisheries and in aquaculture. To understand levels of genetic diversity within and among populations in the wild, population genetic structure and the relative magnitude of migration were assessed using mtDNA sequence data and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from individuals sampled from locations in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. A total of 25 variable sites of cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 and 3678 neutral SNPs were recovered. Three genetic groups were identified, with both marker types distributed in different oceanic regions: Pacific-1 in central Pacific, Pacific-2 in eastern Pacific and Atlantic in western Atlantic. Nonetheless, the analysis of SNP identified a fourth population in the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico (Pacific-3), whereas that of mtDNA did not. This mito-nuclear discordance is likely explained by a recently diverged Pacific-3 population. In addition, two mtDNA haplogroups were found within the western Atlantic, likely indicating that the species came into the Atlantic from the Indian Ocean with historical gene flow from the eastern Pacific. Relative gene flow among ocean basins was low with _rm < 0.2, whereas in the eastern Pacific it was asymmetric and higher from south to north (_rm > 0.79). The results reflect the importance of assessing genetic structure and gene flow of natural populations for the purposes of sustainable management.