Genetic characteristics of Polish whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus maraena) broodstocks - recommendations for the conservation management

Abstract

European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus maraena is an important fish species in Poland. Unfortunately, most of the whitefish populations are currently threatened with extinction, generally due to water pollution and overfishing. Because the whitefish populations have decreased drastically in Poland, a protection plan has been developed, which includes the creation of whitefish broodstocks in aquaculture conditions. During its implementation, genetic analysis of these valuable fish populations should be performed. This manuscript describes a study, in which microsatellite DNA analysis was applied to investigations into the genetic structure of two whitefish broodstocks maintained in Poland (Pomorska Bay and Galadus) and two natural populations from Lebsko Lake and Mamry Lake, northern Poland. Genetic differentiation was detected between the analyzed populations through the pairwise genetic differentiation index (F ST ). The D A measure of genetic distance between pairs of populations indicated that the shortest distance was between the Pomorska Bay broodstock and the Lebsko Lake population (0.062), while the longest one was between the Lebsko Lake and the Galadus populations (0.172). The present results reveal genetic characterization of important populations of whitefish in Poland and provide the first information about the genetic condition of these fish stocks.

Gradual and Acute Temperature Rise Induces Crossing Endocrine, Metabolic, and Immunological Pathways in Maraena Whitefish (Coregonus maraena)

“…While these two salmonid species have been domesticated for decades (Tymchuk et al, 2009 ), the cultivation of the maraena whitefish Coregonus maraena , another salmonid fish, started only in the mid-1990s in Finland (Kause et al, 2011 ; Brietzke et al, 2016 ). Additionally, other European countries have established whitefish brood stocks for aquaculture industry (Arndt, 2001 ; Fopp-Bayat et al, 2015 ). Whitefish is a species-rich genus of mostly cold-water benthivores that grow optimally at water temperatures between 13 and 18°C (McCormick et al, 1971 ), while higher temperatures above 22°C impair growth (Jobling, 1981 ; Ficker et al, 2016 ) and temperatures above 26°C are lethal (Edsall et al, 1970 ; Edsall and Rottiers, 1976 ) for several coregonid species.…”

Management of Genetic Variation in the Gamete Bank of the Endangered Lake Minnow Eupallasella percnurus, Using Genassemblage 2.2 Software

“…It is important to note that the set of individuals or their gametes that are analyzed with the module “Management of genetic variation in gamete bank” can also be used to assemble breeding pairs or sets of pairs using other modules included in Genassemblage 2.2, i.e., “Select the best breeding pair and Select individuals for group spawning” [ 15 ]. Consequently, this software can be an efficient tool for conservation of genetic diversity in human-dependent populations [ 12 , 16 , 25 ], including many fish species that are at serious risk of extinction and require active protection measures [ 26 , 27 ].…”

Techniques Based on the Polymorphism of Microsatellite Dna as Tools for Conservation of Endangered Populations

“…To find the best pairs out of many possible combinations, software like Geneassemblage 1.0 (Kaczmarczyk, 2015) can be used, which is appropriate not only for diploid organisms but also for tetraploid or partially tetraploid organisms because it calculates the expected percentage of offspring with three alleles that are the same and a fourth that differs, i.e. "weak heterozygotes" (Fopp-Bayat et al, 2015).…”