Inferring Population Structure from Early Life Stage: The Case of the European Anchovy in the Sicilian and Maltese Shelves

The European anchovy is an important fishing resource in the Sicilian Channel that supports a high recruitment success variability. The presence of two spawning areas, the drifting of the larvae along the currents and the different oceanographic conditions within the region suggest the presence of different larvae subpopulations. Morphometric and biochemical approaches have been used to analyze the differences among larvae collected. The amino acid composition discriminates two larval groups closely related to the spawning regions: Adventure Bank and the shelf between the South of Sicily and Malta. In addition, there are morphometric and growth differences between recently hatched larvae in…