Population genomics of the Eastern Rock Lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi, during spawning stock recovery from over-exploitation

Fisheries are currently under pressure to provide increasing amounts of seafood, causing a growing number of marine stocks to be harvested at unsustainable levels. To ensure marine resources remain sustainable, careful management of biological stocks and their genetic integrity is required. The Eastern Rock Lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi, is commercially harvested along the New South Wales (NSW) coast of eastern Australia and is managed as a single unit. Due to overfishing, the NSW S. verreauxi stock was severely depleted in the mid-1990s but has since been rebuilding. This study evaluates the population genetic structure, putative local adaptation, and potential of a population bottleneck for NSW S. verreauxi. Using neutral single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we determined NSW S. verreauxi consist of a single genetic stock, with outlier SNPs detecting weak genetic divergence among offshore locations, and evidence of population bottlenecks at all locations. Our findings (i) confirm a single management unit is appropriate; (ii) can be used as a baseline for future genetic monitoring of NSW S. verreauxi; and (iii) highlights the importance of implementing routine genetic monitoring and collecting temporal samples to understand the full impact of overfishing on a species resilience.

Automated summary

The study found that the Eastern Rock Lobster population in New South Wales consists of a single genetic stock, with weak genetic divergence among offshore locations and evidence of population bottlenecks at all locations. These findings support the use of a single management unit and can serve as a baseline for future genetic monitoring efforts. The study emphasizes the importance of routine genetic monitoring and collecting temporal samples to understand the impact of overfishing on species resilience.