Straying intensity and genetic differentiation in salmon populations

This paper summarizes world literature and the authors' results on straying intensity and genetic differentiation in salmon populations. The following points are discussed: straying intensity in salmonid species; the concept of effective population size and its estimates for different salmon species; relation between the Nem parameter of population structure and spatial genetic differentiation at allozyme loci; possible genetic consequences of homing distortion. We conclude that homing is a historically established species-specific trait responsible for the equilibrium between population differentiation and integration processes which regulate the ratio of intra- and interpopulation gene diversity levels. The distortion of this ratio results in negative genetic effects for rational fishery and successful management of populations.