Abstract

Abstract: Declining runs of Chinook salmon in western Alaska have focused interest on the ocean condition and food habits of Chinook salmon in the Bering Sea, including potential mortality from bycatch in the pollock fishery. Examination of Chinook salmon stomach contents collected in the eastern Bering Sea by the U.S. North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program (NOAA Fisheries) revealed isolated pieces of skin, bones, and fins (offal) belonging to large-bodied fish which were physically identified as either walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) or Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus). To confirm the species identification of the offal, we matched DNA sequences of these offal samples to known sequences of walleye pollock and Pacific cod. Novel mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) primers were designed to amplify a 174-base pair (bp)-long section of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene, which was sequenced and compared with sequences downloaded from the GenBank database. Typically, much longer sections (~700 bp) of DNA are used for species identification but due to the state of digestion of the samples, long sequences of DNA were no longer present. The specific design of our primers, however, allowed us to make positive identification and differentiation of walleye pollock and Pacific cod. Of the 15 offal samples, nine yielded usable sequences, all of which were positively identified as walleye pollock. Our results clearly demonstrate the utility of a short COI sequence for species identification of Chinook salmon stomach contents that might otherwise be unidentifiable due to either the state of digestion, or because the salmon consumed isolated body parts (offal) rather than whole fish. These results suggest that walleye pollock offal supplements the diet of Chinook salmon during winter. Keywords: Chinook salmon, walleye pollock, offal, genetics, food habits

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