International Journal of Marine Science, 2025, Vol.15, No.4, 186-198 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ijms 186 Research Insight Open Access Global Genetic Flow and Population Structure of Scomberomorus spp.: Insights from Multi-Genomic Data Analysis Liqing Chen1, Lingfei Jin2 1 Tropical Marine Fisheries Research Center, Hainan Institute of Tropical Agricultural Resources, Sanya, 572025, Hainan, China 2 Institute of Life Science, Jiyang College of Zhejiang A&F University, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding author: lingfei.jin@jicat.org International Journal of Marine Science, 2025, Vol.15, No.4, doi: 10.5376/ijms.2025.15.0017 Received: 08 Jun., 2025 Accepted: 12 Jul., 2025 Published: 27 Jul., 2025 Copyright © 2025 Chen and Jin, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Chen L.Q., and Jin L.F., 2025, Global genetic flow and population structure of Scomberomorus spp.: insights from multi-genomic data analysis, International Journal of Marine Science, 15(4): 186-198 (doi: 10.5376/ijms.2025.15.0017) Abstract The genus Scomberomorus spp. is an important middle- and upper-level economic fish with significant economic and ecological value. However, high-intensity development of global fisheries puts mackerel populations at risk of decreased genetic diversity and changes in population structure. This study reviews the progress of global gene flow and population structure in the genus Mackerel fish, and focuses on the role of multigenomic data in it. We also deeply explored the influence mechanisms of environmental factors such as ocean currents, seawater temperature salts, and overfishing on gene exchange and population structure of mackerel. Studies have shown that there is a certain degree of genetic differentiation between different geographical populations of mackerels, and it also maintains genetic communication through migration and currents; among which ocean currents can play a dual role in connecting populations and isolating populations. This study finally proposes that the genetic research on mackerel population still has shortcomings such as regional coverage imbalance and single marker types. In the future, research should be strengthened in combination with multigenomic data and ecological monitoring to support the sustainable management of marine fishery resources and the effective protection of mackerel species. Keywords Mackerel; Gene flow; Population structure; Genetic diversity; Multigenomic data; Fishery management 1 Introduction The genus Scomberomorus belongs to the family Scombridae, including about 20 species such as narrowband mackerel, Japanese mackerel, and broadband mackerel. It is an important middle- and upper-level predatory fish in tropical and temperate waters around the world. The meat of mackerel is delicious, rich in high-quality protein and unsaturated fatty acids, and has high economic value worldwide. For example, Japanese mackerel (S. niphonius) is a famous edible fish "mackerel" in China and East Asia. The narrow-band mackerel (S. commercial) is widely distributed in the Indian Ocean-Western Pacific and is an important fishery resource for coastal countries. In the Western Atlantic Ocean, Brazilian mackerel (S. brasiliensis) and kingfish (S. cavalla) support local commercial and recreational fisheries (Gold et al., 2010). Since mackerels are generally located in the high trophic level of marine food networks, they play an important role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems. In recent decades, the global fishing intensity has continued to increase, and many mackerel populations have shown signs of decline. Brazilian mackerel production has dropped significantly along the northeastern coast of Brazil and is believed to have overfished (Siccha-Ramirez et al., 2018). Offshore China, the annual catch of Japanese mackerels has exceeded 400 000 tons in recent years, making it an important catch species in the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the East China Sea. However, with offshore environmental pollution and overfishing, its germplasm resources are facing decay, and the decline in genetic diversity may endanger population sustainability. Protecting the genetic resources of marine fish such as mackerels and maintaining the stability of their population structure has become one of the important tasks of fishery management. Genetic diversity is the basis for species to adapt to environmental changes and resist risks such as disease. Improving the understanding of the genetic structure of target fish can help formulate scientific management and conservation measures.
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