Genetics applied to fisheries management and sustainability

Problem addressed

Traditional assessment methods have limitations when it comes to identifying the origin of catches, accurately analysing the diets of commercially important species or estimating the biomass of populations that are difficult to sample. This creates uncertainty in fisheries management and in the implementation of conservation measures.

What we do and how we do it

• Genetic traceability and stock delineation: identifying the population of origin of species such as Atlantic bluefin tuna, providing essential information for management policies based on biological population units.
• Genetic diet analysis: using DNA to identify prey consumed by commercially important species, including anchovy, sardine, hake, horse mackerel and Atlantic mackerel, improving our understanding of trophic relationships.
• Genetic connectivity and diversity studies: analysing gene flow between populations to assess their resilience to climate change.
• Biomass estimation using genetic techniques as a complement to acoustic surveys and direct sampling methods.
• Development of standardised protocols and transfer of methodologies to management bodies and the fishing sector.
• Identification of processes such as hybridisation and the presence of ecotypes adapted to different ecosystems.

Key benefits

• More accurate stock assessments that better reflect the underlying biology of populations.
• More sustainable fisheries through science-based management policies.
• Greater efficiency and lower costs in monitoring programmes.
• Direct support for management organisations and international forums through robust scientific data.