Polymorphism of mtDNA gene Cyt b of walleye pollock, Gadus chalcogrammus (Gadidae), in the Chukchi Sea, western Bering Sea, and Sea of Okhotsk

The results of the analysis of the Cyt b gene polymorphism of mitochondrial DNA in samples of walleye pollock Gadus chalcogrammus from the Chukchi Sea are presented for the first time. The data obtained are compared with those from the western Bering Sea, the Sea of Okhotsk and the Pacific waters off the northern and southern Kuril Islands. According to the analysis of the samples pooled by seas, the populations of the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea do not differ from each other and differ statistically significantly (p < 0.05) from the pooled sample of the Sea of Okhotsk. This may be due to the exchange of its genetic material, which occurs because of the mixing from different spawning grounds at the early developmental stages as a result of transfer by currents (1) and active migrations of adults (2).

Automated summary

The results of genetic analysis on walleye pollock from the Chukchi Sea reveal no significant difference between the populations in the Chukchi Sea and the Bering Sea, but a significant difference with the Sea of Okhotsk. This suggests genetic exchange through mixing of genetic material from different spawning grounds and migrations of adult fish.