Absence of spatial and temporal genetic differentiation at microsatellite loci in north east Atlantic anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius)

Anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) are subject to a major directed fishery in the north eastAtlantic. Development of effective stock management is hindered by a limited understandingof the basic biology of the species including the extent of structuring of the species into geneticpopulations. Screening of adult anglerfish throughout its northern distribution (samples takenfrom Iceland, Norwegian coast, the Northern Shelf, Rockall, and West of Ireland) for ninemicrosatelites appears to show no evidence of spatial or temporal differences. The absenceof any within or between sample differentiation supports a view that anglerfish stocks withinthe area sampled are part of a single more or less panmictic reproductive population. The re-sults therefore provide strong support for stocks in ICES management areas IVa, VIa, VIband VIIb being derived from a single panmictic population of fish. Given that it appears fromsurvey data that mature fish are concentrated in the deeper waters off VIa and Rockall, theexpansion of the fishery into deeper waters could clearly have an impact on the source of re-cruits for many other areas in the north east Atlantic.