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• Combining eDNA and trawl data increases the detected biodiversity. • Good reference databases are of vital importance for correct taxonomic classification. • We advocate that a combined sampling effort is a good strategy for future monitoring of biodiversity in the Arctic including the Barents Sea. Managing natural resources in a sustainable manner requires understanding the complexity of ecosystems and the species that are associated with the different parts of the ecosystem. Much of this knowledge is derived from traditional sampling methods (e.g., different types of trawls). The analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) can provide increased knowledge, complementary to the traditional methods. In the present pilot study, we sampled eDNA from two geographical areas, north and west of Svalbard (NWS) and in the southwestern Barents Sea (SWBS). The combination of trawling, visual identification of mammals and eDNA collection facilitated a robust analysis of fish and marine mammal diversity and species composition. Through 12S MiFish metabarcoding of the eDNA samples, we found that incorporating eDNA data provided an additional level of information on both the diversity of fish and marine mammals in the study areas. By adding eDNA data to the trawl data, we found that richness increased from 32 to 49 fish taxa. Significant differences in diversity and composition of the fish communities were detected by eDNA between the two study areas. Considering degradation and dilution factors it is postulated that the results represent resident species to the Barents Sea and that long -transported DNA from other areas are less likely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A large majority of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) found all year round in outer parts of fjords and along outer coastal areas in general in northern Norway have a genetic signature at the pantophysin (Pan I) locus that distinguish them from Norwegian coastal cod (NCC) found further inside fjords in the same areas. The identity of these fish has been controversial and to examine if they represent a distinct coastal cod group, or are identical to the migratory North East Arctic cod (NEAC) of the Barents Sea, a comparison was conducted at 10 microsatellite loci for 15 samples comprising each of the three groups inner coastal NCC, outer coastal cod and NEAC. Spatial analysis of molecular variance revealed that the outer coastal samples cannot be discriminated from NEAC by means of microsatellite markers, supporting the similarity of the two groups at the Pan I locus. This implies that a portion of the otherwise migratory NEAC, at least in its premature stage, remains in coastal areas in close contact with the genetically quite distinct NCC group. Both the coalescent-based simulation approach and the lnRH test for selective sweeps proved two of the microsatellite loci, GMO 34 and GMO 132 to be non-neutral. Notwithstanding, these two loci, together with the acknowledged non-neutral Pan I locus, which displayed profound linkage disequilibrium to GMO 34 within NEAC, are as yet the only nuclear markers which unambiguously discriminate between NEAC and NCC. Although the relative contribution of restricted gene flow versus selection as a causative agent for the divergence between NEAC and NCC has not been assessed, we believe the magnitude of differentiation at the three loci provides rational for maintaining NEAC and NCC as separate management units. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fish stocks represent fundamental units in fisheries management, and their identification, especially in mixed-fisheries, represents one of the primary challenges to sustainable harvest. Here, we describe the first “real-time” genetic management program used to manage a mixed-stock fishery of a non-salmonid and commercially significant marine fish, the Atlantic cod ( Gadus morhua L). Based upon the analysis of >18 000 fish sampled from the commercial catch in Lofoten (Norway), which represents the largest remaining cod fishery in the Atlantic, we estimated the fraction of North East Arctic cod (NEAC), and Norwegian Coastal cod (NCC), just 24 h post-landing. These estimates, based upon the analysis of the Pantophysin gene, were performed weekly in the winter and spring of each year in the period 2007–2017. The program has successfully permitted the Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries to actively manage the commercial exploitation of the highly abundant NEAC stock, while simultaneously limiting exploitation of the fragile NCC stock, both of which overlap at the spawning grounds. Data from this program have also revealed a distinct temporal increase in the fraction of NEAC on the spawning grounds in this region, which is consistent with the overall increased abundance of this stock as estimated by ICES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]