Ahmad Shadi

Yellowfin seabream is reproduced both naturally and semi-artificially and is one of the most probable candidates for coastal aquaculture in Iran. Genetic structuring of wild Acanthopagrus latus populations from the Northern Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman was analyzed using microsatellite markers. Allelic diversity was estimated in 180 organisms (3 sample sites in the Persian Gulf and 3 in Gulf of Oman) in 8 microsatellite loci. Results showed a high level of polymorphism (HE=0.81, Ho=0.89), the number of alleles in polymorphic loci ranged from 9 to 14. High level of diversity between individuals but moderate diversity rate between populations was observed. AMOVA analysis showed low to medium but significant genetic differentiation between populations (p= 0.001) and significant genetic differentiation between Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf populations was detected. Results from this study differentiate four populations in the region: two in the Persian Gulf and two in Gulf of Oman. No evidence for recent population bottleneck was detected; however low allelic rate may relate to high fishing pressure on this species. This suggests that care should be taken for fisheries managers, for aquaculture and restocking programs.