A tool for tracking genetic contributions of wild Penaeus (Melicertus) plebejus broodstock to hatchery populations

Abstract

Stock enhancement, restocking and sea ranching are being increasingly applied in both fisheries and conservation. The contribution of hatchery stock to fishery harvest and the maintenance of the genetic structure of stocked populations are both important considerations when releasing captive-bred organisms into natural systems. Use of wild-caught broodstock generally overcomes some of the genetic problems associated with domesticated hatchery populations, but there is still a need to ensure that a sufficient proportion of the natural population contribute to production of the stocked cohort to realise the genetic benefits of using wild-caught broodstock. Releases of Penaeus (Melicertus) plebejus are under investigation as a means of increasing prawn production in recruitment-limited areas. We used the highly variable mitochondrial control region (mtCR) to assign post-larvae to maternal lineages in the hatchery and also to investigate the reproductive performance of female broodstock in terms of contribution to the production of the cohorts of post-larvae in the hatchery. Our data showed that mtCR can be a useful tool for tracking lineages and provided genetic evidence that unequal contribution and underproducing females can occur even in wild-caught broodstock. This work therefore highlights the importance of monitoring the genetic composition of pre-release hatchery stocks.

Environmental factors influencing the reproduction of an estuarine penaeid population and implications for management

“…Because of the small size at release and moulting of crustaceans, it is not possible to use physical tags to determine recapture rates of stocked prawns. Non‐invasive, genetic markers provide a potential mark to distinguish stocked from wild individuals (Bravington & Ward, ) and have been developed to some extent for Penaeus ( Marsupenaeus ) japonicus (Spence Bate) , Penaeus esculentus Haswell and Penaeus ( Melicertus ) plebejus (Hess) (Chan, Sherwin, & Taylor, ; Jerry et al., ; Liu & Cordes, ; Loneragan et al., ). However, a greater number of markers would be needed for M. dalli than the above three Penaeus species, as the current culture practice for M. dalli involves collecting wild broodstock (Tweedley et al., ).…”

Eastern king prawn Penaeus plebejus stock enhancement—Genetic evidence that hatchery bred prawns have survived in the wild after release

“…The integrity of extracted DNA was tested using 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. PCR amplification of mtDNA control region (mtCR) was achieved using a published primer pair ( Chan et al, 2014 ). PCR assays were conducted in 30 µL reaction volumes containing, 0.2 µM of each primer (forward 5′-ATTAGCACTAGGTACTGAGA-3′and reverse 5′-AGT​TTC​AGG​ATA​AGA​AGA​CAC​TAT-3′) in 2 μL, 15 µL of 2 × PCR Master Mix, 11 µL of RNase free water, and 2 µL of the DNA template.…”