Evidence supporting panmixia in Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) in the Northwest Atlantic

Assessment of population structure is critical to the design and implementation of sound management and conservation strategies. However, population structure must be assessed using markers attuned to population genetic processes such as genetic drift and gene flow, which reflect actual levels of reproductive isolation among putative genetic clusters. This is critical for highly exploited, commercial species that form the backbone of regional and local economies. Here, we show extremely low levels of population genetic differentiation among Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) collected from throughout the Northwest Atlantic, which cannot be statistically differentiated from panmixia using 12 species-specific polymorphic microsatellite markers. In contrast, some previous studies have demonstrated significant differences among individuals collected from various parts of the species’ range using a variety of both genetic and nongenetic techniques. In accordance with other reports and consistent with the species’ life history, we demonstrate that the most parsimonious explanation reconciling observed patterns is a repeated high degree of local differentiation of new recruits and colonizers originating from a common gene pool. Such a scenario has important conservation implications in terms of devising more appropriate strategies balancing species persistence and replenishment with sustainable resource use.