Genetic traceability of selected populations of the yellowstripe scad, Selaroides leptolepis (Actinopterygii:Perciformes:Carangidae), based on the analysis of microsatellite DNA-CELFISH Project-Part 3

Background. Monitoring the genetic diversity of fish populations can provide information necessary to determine fishing quotas for the commercially caught species. One of the species subjected to intensive exploitation is the yellowstripe scad, Selaroides leptolepis (Cuvier, 1833), commonly occurring in the coastal waters of Vietnam, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. This paper is the third part of a larger project: "Development of a genetic-based system for identification of food products from fisheries and aquaculture introduced to the European Union customs area". Materials and methods. Fin fragments of the yellowstripe scad, Selaroides leptolepis, were obtained in 2012 and 2013 from local markets in Vietnam (SVN), Cambodia (SKH), Malaysia (MMY), and Indonesia (MID). The analyses focused on the amplification and sequencing of a fragment of the nuclear rhodopsin gene which utilized as identification label. Subsequently, in the obtained SVN, SKH, MMY, and MID samples, 11 microsatellite regions (SRR) were analysed. Sequence analyses were performed using the BioEdit and BLAST software, while the analysis of the obtained SRR data was conducted using the GenAlEx software. Results. The analysis of the obtained loci variants divided the investigated populations into two genetically homogeneous groups: the Vietnamese-Indonesian group and the Malaysian-Cambodian group. The analysis of genetic diversity revealed statistically significant deviations from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the investigated populations and indicated the Vietnamese population as the most stable, while the Malaysian population as the least stable. Conclusions. The study provides information on the genetic diversity of the investigated populations and allows assignment of the captured fish to the geographical regions specified. Moreover, indicate that among analysed populations the safest populations were those caught in the local fisheries (continental shelf) of Vietnam and Cambodia due to their high mean genetic diversity.