Reduced Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Panels for Assigning Atlantic Albacore and Bay of Biscay Anchovy Individuals to Their Geographic Origin: Toward Sustainable Fishery Management.

There is an increasing trend upon adding a detailed description of the origin of seafood products driven by a general interest in the implementation of sustainable fishery management plans for the conservation of marine ecosystems. North Atlantic albacore ("Bonito del Norte con Eusko Label") and Bay of Biscay anchovy ("Anchoa del Cantábrico") are two commercially important fish populations with high economical value and vulnerable to commercial fraud. This fact, together with the overexploited situation of these two populations, makes it necessary to develop a tool to identify individual origin and to detect commercial fraud. In the present study, we have developed and validated a traceability tool consisting of reduced panels of gene-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) suitable for assigning individuals of two species to their origin with unprecedented accuracy levels. Only 48 SNPs are necessary to assign 81.1% albacore and 93.4% anchovy individuals with 100% accuracy to their geographic origin. The total accuracy of the results demonstrates how gene-associated SNPs can revolutionize food traceability. Gene-associated SNP panels are not of mere commercial interest, but they also can result in a positive impact on sustainability of marine ecosystems through conservation of fish populations through establishing a more effective and sustainable fishery management framework and contributing to the prevention of falsified labeling.