Pacific herring spawning in British Columbia

(Photo: Rebecca Benjamin-Carey, CHI) 

The Background Info:

While there are significant stocks of herring throughout the eastern Bering Sea, not much is known about the genetic structure of these stocks. Determining if these different stocks are genetically distinct from one another is an important research topic that can help inform fisheries management decisions. Genetic diversity is an imperative feature to monitor to keep herring populations healthy.

The How:

With the help from NOAA and Alaska Department of Fish and Game, herring samples from all around the Bering Sea will be used to build a robust collection of herring genetic information. The use of modern genomic techniques will produce detailed information about the whole herring genome, which hasn’t been done before in the eastern Bering Sea!

The Why:

Herring is critical to Alaska in many ways. Better understanding their genomic variability will help fisheries managers make well-informed decisions about herring stocks in the Bering Sea. Knowing more about the population structure of herring can also help managers predict how herring populations will change to environmental changes.

• Library preparation and sequencing