Population genetics of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) have experienced population declines across their native range. Widespread stocking has been a population recovery strategy, but there is a growing awareness that stocking may put genetic integrity at risk. In Prince Edward Island, Canada, over 37 million salmon have been stocked since 1880. This study used a panel of six microsatellites and next-generation sequencing to evaluate the genetic composition of 884 individuals from 20 rivers. Bayesian clustering methods inferred groupings that were generally consistent with spatial distribution of rivers. A cluster in northeastern PEI was the most distinct, clustering separately across all methods. Distance between rivers accounted for 25.8% of the variations, whereas stocking intensity did not predict genetic variation. The genetic composition of the most heavily stocked river changed over a few years, suggesting that wild free-ranging fish could outcompete stocked fish. Currently, PEI has multiple genetic stoc..., , # Data from: Population genetics of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.xksn02vst](10.5061/dryad.xksn02vst)

## Description of the data and file structure

The dataset contains alleles from six microsatellite loci to evaluate Atlantic salmon populations in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. Data cover 752 individuals from 21 watersheds in the province of PEI. Analysis of genetic structure showed multiple groupings on PEI. Some of this variation can be explained by geographic distance between groupings and post-glacial recession and biogeography. While stocking was presumed to impact genetic structure on PEI there were no significant correlations between these.

### Files and variables

#### File: PEI\_Microsatellite\_Genotypes.txt

**Description:** Compilation of microsatellite alleles across 752 individual Atlantic salmon from 21 rivers in Prince Edward Island Canada. Sampling occurred from 2016-2017. Missing data are entered as ...,