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Development of new genetic methods for monitoring fish stocks using the example of the European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus) (GenMeMo)
Project
Project code: 2819102X20
Contract period: 01.07.2021
- 31.12.2024
Budget: 530,137 Euro
Purpose of research: Applied research
Keywords: animal health, fishery, fish, prevention, animal welfare, marine organisms, indicators
Regular monitoring of fish stocks is the basis for the annual assessments of the state of European fish stocks and the recommendation of catch quotas by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea in Copenhagen (ICES). In the proposed project, a novel genetic method for monitoring will be applied using the example of the European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus), an economically important migratory fish species. Using NGS (Next-Generation-Sequencing) methods, SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) can be identified as genetic markers across the genome, which can be used to characterize differences between populations and even to resolve relationships between individuals. In the proposed project, these methods will be applied in the so-called CKMR method (Close-Kin Mark-Recapture), a completely new approach to population size estimation that is independent of fishery data. The exact relationships between individuals will be determined. The distribution and frequency of parent-child or half-brother and sister pairs in a population then allow conclusions to be drawn about the absolute population size. In addition, CKMR provides further parameters such as fertility and mortality that are important for an assessment of population dynamics. This novel genetic approach will be adapted to the European smelt and validated using classical population biology approaches. The rearing of smelt larvae under controlled conditions in experimental aquaculture will provide additional information on environmental factors that influence the survival and development of eggs and larvae.
Current methods used for stock size surveys in fisheries monitoring are invasive and contribute to environmental stresses and strains. A genetic approach based on relationship patterns within stocks should bring relief. Careful and sustainable management of fish stocks requires regular monitoring in order to be able to estimate current sizes and further developments. Complex, demographic models are built to forecast future stock developments under different usage scenarios and to state prescient catch quota recommendations. This work is mainly based on the evaluation of information from logbook recordings from commercial fishing as well as on regular research catches. The methods, used to obtain this fisheries research data, are not only labour-intensive, but also invasive, especially since, in addition to the target species, unnecessary bycatch ends up in the nets, when data are collected using classic fishing gear. Furthermore, despite the most careful work, are calculations based on these traditional methods, often subject to great uncertainties; This can result in ecologically and economically relevant misjudgements. Newer approaches therefore try to use molecular genetic techniques to infer the size of a population by analysing genetic relationships within a sample. Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) methods, so-called SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) can be identified as genome-wide genetic markers, which not only can be used to characterize differences between populations but also to resolve relationships between individuals. In the GenMeMo project, these methods will be used in the so-called CKMR (Close-Kin Mark-Recapture) method, a completely new approach for the estimation of population sizes that is largely independent of fisheries data. In addition, CKMR provides some other parameters that are important for assessing population dynamics, such as fertility and mortality. CKMR has been successfully applied to some marine species in the past. As a method, CKMR offers the potential to supplement and extend traditional methods for recording the structure and dynamics of a population and to replace at least many of the very laborious biological input data. In the GenMeMo project, the genetic method is to be tested for the first time for its applicability to an anadromous and economically relevant migratory fish species of the Elbe and Weser, the European smelt (Osmerus eperlanus). The method is planned to be adapted accordingly and compared to various, classically collected, population-biological parameters for its validation.
Section overview
Subjects
- Marine fisheries
- Resource management
