Genetic Differentiation of Ship Sturgeon Acipenser nudiventris (Acipenseridae) Specimens from Natural Populations and Farmed Broodstocks

The study of intraspecific genetic polymorphism of the ship sturgeon was conducted using 10 microsatellite loci and a region of the D-loop of mitochondrial DNA (660 bp). A noticeable differentiation of Aral and Caspian populations by nuclear and mitochondrial markers was shown. Within the Caspian population, a higher genetic polymorphism was shown for the sample from the Ural River, represented by wild individuals. Samples from the aquaculture farms of Caspian origin are usually low polymorphic; they do not display interpopulation differentiation. Due to the low level of genetic polymorphism in the remaining populations of this endangered species, it is strongly recommended that measures be taken to create replacement broodstock for local fish farms.