GENETIC IDENTIFICATION OF FISHING STOCKS: NEW TOOLS FOR POPULATION STUDIES OF THE SPINY LOBSTER Panulirus argus (LATREILLE, 1804 (original) (raw)
Over the past years fishery managers and scientists have been addressing concerns on the spiny lobster Panulirus argus fisheries, due to unsustainable harvesting throughout the coastline of the Americas. Commercial fishing commonly overexploits stocks, and current landings of P. argus fisheries throughout the western central Atlantic indicate a resource that is being exploited beyond its limits. Knowledge regarding population subdivision is critical to sustainable fishery management and seems to be the correct approach as a problem-solving strategy in P. argus fisheries. The goal of this article is to provide baseline information in order to help researchers and fishery managers build knowledge base that would be used to facilitate the conservation and support the establishment of specific regional management policies for this valuable resource. With the advance of DNA technologies new approaches started to be applied on population genetic studies. Molecular ecologists have begun to use new techniques that allow them to subdivide a particular species into a number of genetically distinct stocks. The application of both microsatellite markers and DNA sequencing to the population genetics of P. argus is believed to be the method of choice in detecting heterogeneity and identifying lobster stocks. However, both genetic and ecological tools (e.g. fully understanding of hydrological patterns along the coast) should be integrated to efficiently manage P. argus fisheries in Brazil and in the Caribbean.
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