Atlantic mackerel population structure does not support genetically distinct spawning components.

Background: The Atlantic mackerel, (Linnaeus, 1758) is a commercially valuable migratory pelagic fish inhabiting the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Given its highly migratory behaviour for feeding and spawning, several studies have been conducted to assess differentiation among spawning components to better define management units, as well as to investigate possible adaptations to comprehend and predict recent range expansion northwards.

Methods: Here, the genome of was sequenced and annotated, as an increasing number of population genetic studies have proven the relevance of reference genomes to investigate genomic markers/regions potentially linked to differences at finer scale.

Genetic Sex and Origin Identification Suggests Differential Migration of Male and Female Atlantic Bluefin Tuna () in the Northeast Atlantic.

Knowledge about sex-specific difference in life-history traits-like growth, mortality, or behavior-is of key importance for management and conservation as these parameters are essential for predictive modeling of population sustainability. We applied a newly developed molecular sex identification method, in combination with a SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) panel for inferring the population of origin, for more than 300 large Atlantic bluefin tuna (ABFT) collected over several years from newly reclaimed feeding grounds in the Northeast Atlantic. The vast majority (95%) of individuals were genetically assigned to the eastern Atlantic population, which migrates between spawning grounds in the Mediterranean and feeding grounds in the Northeast Atlantic.

A regime shift in the Southeast Greenland marine ecosystem.

Two major oceanographic changes have recently propagated through several trophic levels in coastal areas of Southeast Greenland (SEG). Firstly, the amount of drift-ice exported from the Fram Strait and transported with the East Greenland Current (EGC) has decreased significantly over the past two decades, and a main tipping element (summer sea ice) has virtually disappeared since 2003 leading to a regime shift in oceanographic and ecological conditions in the region. The following 20-year period with low or no coastal sea ice is unique in the 200-year history of ice observations in the region, and the regime shift is also obvious in the volume of ice export through the Fram Strait after 2013.

Shared ancestral polymorphisms and chromosomal rearrangements as potential drivers of local adaptation in a marine fish.

Gene flow has tremendous importance for local adaptation, by influencing the fate of de novo mutations, maintaining standing genetic variation and driving adaptive introgression. Furthermore, structural variation as chromosomal rearrangements may facilitate adaptation despite high gene flow. However, our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms impending or favouring local adaptation in the presence of gene flow is still limited to a restricted number of study systems.

Bioenergetics modeling of the annual consumption of zooplankton by pelagic fish feeding in the Northeast Atlantic.

The present study uses bioenergetics modeling to estimate the annual consumption of the main zooplankton groups by some of the most commercially important planktivorous fish stocks in the Northeast Atlantic, namely Norwegian spring-spawning (NSS) herring (Clupea harengus), blue whiting (Micromesistius poutassou) and NEA mackerel (Scomber scombrus). The data was obtained from scientific surveys in the main feeding area (Norwegian Sea) in the period 2005-2010. By incorporating novel information about ambient temperature, seasonal growth and changes in the diet from stomach content analyses, annual consumption of the different zooplankton groups by pelagic fish is estimated.

Ocean warming expands habitat of a rich natural resource and benefits a national economy.

Geographic redistribution of living natural resources changes access and thereby harvesting opportunities between countries. Internationally shared fish resources can be sensitive to shifts in the marine environment and this may have great impact on the economies of countries and regions that rely most heavily on fisheries to provide employment and food supply. Here we present a climate change-related biotic expansion of a rich natural resource with substantial economic consequences, namely the appearance of northeast Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in Greenlandic waters.

Population structure of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus).

Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) occurs on both sides of the north Atlantic and has traditionally been grouped into 5 spawning components, some of which were thought to be isolated natal homing stocks. Previous studies have provided no evidence for cross Atlantic migration and no or weak support for isolated spawning components within either side of the North Atlantic. We question the de-facto accepted hypothesis of isolation between spawning components on the basis of spawning and age distribution data.

Spatial segregation within the spawning migration of North Eastern Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) as indicated by juvenile growth patterns.

A comparison of growth data (fish length) with latitude shows that southern juvenile mackerel attain a greater length than those originating from further north before growth ceases during their first winter. A similar significant relationship was found between the growth in the first year (derived from the otolith inner winter ring) and latitude for adult mackerel spawning between 44°N (Bay of Biscay) and 54°N (west of Ireland). These observations are consistent with spatial segregation of the spawning migration; the further north that the fish were hatched, the further north they will tend to spawn.

Migration and fisheries of north east Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in autumn and winter.

It has been suggested that observed spatial variation in mackerel fisheries, extending over several hundreds of kilometers, is reflective of climate-driven changes in mackerel migration patterns. Previous studies have been unable to clearly demonstrate this link. In this paper we demonstrate correlation between temperature and mackerel migration/distribution as proxied by mackerel catch data from both scientific bottom trawl surveys and commercial fisheries.

Long-term retrospective analysis of mackerel spawning in the North Sea: a new time series and modeling approach to CPR data.

We present a unique view of mackerel (Scomber scombrus) in the North Sea based on a new time series of larvae caught by the Continuous Plankton Recorder (CPR) survey from 1948-2005, covering the period both before and after the collapse of the North Sea stock. Hydrographic backtrack modelling suggested that the effect of advection is very limited between spawning and larvae capture in the CPR survey. Using a statistical technique not previously applied to CPR data, we then generated a larval index that accounts for both catchability as well as spatial and temporal autocorrelation.