Data from: Population genomics and history of speciation reveal fishery management gaps in two related redfish species (Sebastes mentella and Sebastes fasciatus)

Understanding the processes shaping population structure and reproductive
isolation of marine organisms can improve their management and
conservation. Using genomic markers combined with estimation of individual
ancestries, assignment tests, spatial ecology, and demographic modelling,
we (i) characterized the contemporary population structure, (ii) assessed
the influence of space, fishing depth and sampling years on contemporary
distribution, and (iii) reconstructed the speciation history of two
cryptic redfish species, Sebastes
mentella and S. fasciatus. We genotyped 860 individuals
in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean using 24,603 filtered single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs). Our results confirmed the clear genetic
distinctiveness of the two species, and identified three ecotypes
within S. mentella and five populations in S.
fasciatus. Multivariate analyses highlighted the influence of
spatial distribution and depth on the overall genomic variation while
demographic modeling revealed that secondary contact models best explained
inter and intra genomic divergence. These species, ecotypes, and
populations can be considered as a rare and wide continuum of genomic
divergence in the marine environment. This acquired knowledge pertaining
to the evolutionary processes driving population divergence and
reproductive isolation will help optimizing the assessment of demographic
units and possibly, to refine fishery management units.