Effective population size estimation on Sardina pilchardus in the Bay of Biscay using a temporal genetic approach

Over three consecutive years, we surveyed the temporal variability in genetic structure of sardine populations in the Bay of Biscay and effective population size. Based on individual age, the genetic structure of year classes of the fishes was also surveyed, showing that populations of sardines have weak but significant genetic differences between sampling years and between year classes. We used two different methods to assess effective population size. The methods resulted in different values but a similar range, indicating a low effective population for Sardina pilchardus. Effective population size decreased over the 3 years, probably resulting from an abundance of fish in the Bay. Based on these results, we conclude that temporal variability in the genetic structure of the sardine population and effective size are likely related to environmental conditions in the Bay. Finally, we propose to use effective population size to estimate biomass of sardines in the Bay. (c) 2007 The Linnean Society of London.