Genetic characterization of Portuguese brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) and comparison with other European populations

Allozyme and other protein loci were examined to study the genetic structure of Portuguese brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations. A total of 247 individuals from three tributaries of the Lima hydrological basin and a hatchery, all located in northern Portugal, were analyzed. Four of 22 protein coding loci were found to be polymorphic: CK-A1*, GPI-A2*, MPI-2* and TF*. A new allele at the latter locus was found in Atlantic populations. The data obtained for Portuguese brown trout were compared with published data for 14 European populations and three hatchery stocks. Six polymorphic loci (CK-A1*, GPI-A2*, GPI-B2*, LDH-C*, ME* and MPI-2*) were used in a cluster analysis. This showed the similarity of Portuguese natural populations and northern Iberian populations and that Portuguese hatchery fish have an autochthonous origin, distinct from that of other Atlantic hatchery stocks.