Molecular analysis as a conservation tool for monitoring the trade of North American sturgeons and paddlefish.

There are nine acipenseriform species in North America: two on the Pacific Coast, two on the Atlantic Coast, and five purely freshwater forms. Six of these species are subject to commercial harvest and three to aquaculture. The North American sturgeon and paddlefish meat and caviar marketplace is comprised of legally and illegally acquired products from wild and captive populations of indigenous species as well as non-indigenous species from import and/or culture. Overall, at least 11 species can legally occur in the market. Future aquaculture development will most certainly increase this number. Some indigenous species subject to commercial harvest or culture are under partial or complete range protection, adding another layer of monitoring complexity at the population specific level. We identify four primary levels of confusion in the identification of caviar from North American acipenseriforms in North America: among North American species, among populations within a North American species, between wild and farmed specimens of a North American species, and between North American and imported non-North American species. This complexity reveals the need for additional research into forensic tools, species boundaries and population structure if effective enforcement of harvest and market restrictions is to ensue. For species not subject to commercial harvest and trade, research is needed to identify illegal products from the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]