Genetic research on commercially exploited fish species in Nordic countries

This document was produced during a workshop held at the Institute of Coastal Research, Swedish Board of Fisheries, with the aim to summarize the current genetic research on commercially exploited Nordic fish and to highlight how modern genetic techniques can be used to facilitate management of aquatic resources. The document reviews the current knowledge on genetics in Nordic fish species and identifies the existing gaps in the knowledge. We also provide a brief overview of where the existing competence in population genetic methods in the Nordic countries is located, and identify established cooperation and networks between affiliations and countries. We conclude that in spite of the recent advances there are several considerations that need to be taken into account for sustainable management of targeted stocks of fish and shellfish in the Nordic countries to be effective. For example, information on genetic stock structures should be taken into account in the ICES working groups, common management strategies of aquatic resources in the Nordic countries should be established, stocking and aquaculture programmes should be evaluated from a conservation genetic perspective, and additional research is needed on basic knowledge on the genetic population structure in several exploited fish species.