Otolith and Genomic Data Reveal Temporal Insights Into Stocking Across a Large River Basin in a Mobile, Long-Lived Australian Freshwater Fish Species

Authors

Katherine A Harrisson
Luciano B Beheregaray
Christopher M Bice
Emily J Booth
Chris J Brauer
Gavin L Butler
David Dawson
Olga Dudchenko
Benjamin G Fanson
Graeme Hackett
Annique Harris
Matthew J Jones
Parwinder Kaur
Wayne M Koster
Kyne Krusic-Golub
Erez Lieberman Aiden
Jason A Lieschke
Jarod Lyon
John R Morrongiello
Nicholas P Murphy
James O'Dwyer
Scott M C Raymond
Meaghan L Rourke
Arron Strawbridge
Jason D Thiem
Zeb Tonkin
Jian D L Yen
Brenton P Zampatti

Language

English

Publication Date

4-1-2025

Journal

Molecular Ecology

DOI

10.1111/mec.17714

PMID

40040486

PMCID

PMC11934090

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

3-5-2025

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Post-print

Abstract

Freshwater ecosystems and their biota are under increasing pressure from anthropogenic stressors. In response to declining fish stocks, hatchery and stocking programmes are widely implemented as core components of restoration and management strategies, with positive outcomes for some wild populations. Despite this, stocking remains contentious due to potential genetic and ecological risks to wild populations. Monitoring and evaluation of stocking outcomes are critical to ensuring the long-term sustainability of wild populations, but identification of stocked individuals post-release remains a key challenge, particularly for mobile species. In this study, we combined otolith (natal origin and age) and genomic data to identify stocked individuals and evaluate the genetic implications of stocking for a culturally and socioeconomically important and mobile freshwater fish, golden perch Macquaria ambigua (family: Percichthyidae), across Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB). We also generated a chromosome-level genome assembly. Many close kin were detected across the MDB, increasing in prevalence over recent decades and mostly of hatchery origin. Rivers with many close kin were associated with low effective population sizes (N

Keywords

Animals, Otolithic Membrane, Rivers, Australia, Perches, Genomics, Genetics, Population, Fishes, Fisheries, Population Density, Ecosystem, Fresh Water, conservation genetics, conservation management, fish, fisheries genomics, fisheries management, wildlife management

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

Harrisson, Katherine A; Beheregaray, Luciano B; Bice, Christopher M; et al., "Otolith and Genomic Data Reveal Temporal Insights Into Stocking Across a Large River Basin in a Mobile, Long-Lived Australian Freshwater Fish Species" (2025). Staff and Researcher Publications. 57.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/clinic_pub/57