An Integrated Approach to Determine the Stock Structure of Spinyhead Croaker Collichthys lucidus (Sciaenidae) in Chinese Coastal Waters

An integrated approach including analyses of different biological traits is a proven and powerful tool used to assess the population structures fish species, which vital for fishery stock conservation management wild resources. This study evaluates use three natural tags (i.e., microsatellites, parasites, otolith nucleus chemistry) in order describe structure spinyhead croaker, Collichthys lucidus , coastal waters China, on evolutionary ecological time scales. Spinyhead croaker was assigned with 86% accuracy its regional origin (northern China vs. southern China) using all tags. Accuracy decreased when incorporating only one type tag (genetics: 19–69%; parasites: 30–60%; chemistry: 51–86%) or assigning fine scale (sea areas: 44–64%; sampled estuaries: 19–66%). However, overall assignment improved slightly compared chemistry (estuaries: 55 51%; sea 66 64%; regions: 86 86%). Three results show that C. Chinese can be separated into distinct northern stocks. Finally, this information should promote development effective strategies fisheries plans commercially important species.