Mitochondrial DNA insights into population structure for sustainable management of hilsa fishery

Rashmi Verma; Ajay Kumar Singh; Ashish Sahu; Sudhir Kumar; Mahender Singh

doi:10.21077/ijf.2025.72.4.140440-09

Authors

Rashmi Verma
Ajay Kumar Singh
Ashish Sahu
Sudhir Kumar
Mahender Singh National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Lucknow- 226 002, Uttar Pradesh, India

https://doi.org/10.21077/ijf.2025.72.4.140440-09

Keywords:

Anadromous, ATPase 8/6, cytb, mitochondrial DNA, philopatry, Tenualosa ilisha

Abstract

The rapidly declining populations of the Indian hilsa shad Tenualosa ilisha (Hamilton, 1822), a commercially important species in India, necessitate detailed understanding of its population structure, which appears to be shaped by a balance between anadromous mixing and philopatric isolation. In this study, ATPase 8/6 and cyt b gene sequences of mitochondrial DNA were generated and analysed from seven populations of T. ilisha, sampled from Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, and West Bengal. The results revealed significant genetic differentiation among populations from various geographical regions. A total of 12 and 18 haplotypes were reported, with average haplotype diversities of 0.794 and 0.844, and nucleotide diversities of 0.004 and 0.003 for ATPase 8/6 and cyt b, respectively. High haplotype diversity, along with low nucleotide diversity, suggests that hilsa populations may have experienced recent population expansion or gene flow. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of the ATPase 8/6 dataset showed that 77.55% of the genetic variation was within populations, while 22.45% was among populations. For the cyt b dataset, 90.07% of the variation was found within populations, with only 9.93% variation among populations, indicating greater genetic homogeneity among populations based on the cyt b gene. Given that hilsa ascends rivers annually, there is a strong probability that philopatric migration has facilitated the accumulation of local genetic adaptations and the formation of distinct gene pools across different geographic regions. Therefore, hilsa populations from the northern and western parts of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea may require distinct restocking programs, fisheries management strategies, and conservation measures to address local genetic differences and to ensure the long-term sustainability of these populations.

Keywords: Anadromous fish, ATPase 8/6, Mitochondrial DNA, Philopatry, Tenualosa ilisha.

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