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Washington State University
B.S. Earth & Environmental Science
2021

Population genomics of Pacific herring (Clupea pallasii) spawning aggregations in the eastern Bering Sea

My research focuses on genomic topics related to Pacific herring in Alaska. While Pacific herring is a forage fish vital to the environment, economy, and culture of Alaska, few genomic resources exist for this species. My thesis investigates the genetic population structure of Pacific herring spawning aggregations in the eastern Bering Sea using low coverage, whole genome sequencing. This is the first genomic assessment of Pacific herring in the Bering Sea and will provide a genomic baseline for monitoring herring in Alaska. To expand this assessment of herring genetic population structure in Alaska, our research group is also working to delineate the boundary and extent of genetic differentiation between distinct herring populations in the Bering Sea and the northern Gulf of Alaska. Apart from examining population structure, I am also identifying the genomic architecture related to sex determination in Pacific herring and creating a lab assay to rapidly sex juveniles and non-spawning individuals. Answering these genomic questions about Pacific herring will be applicable to current and future fisheries management topics in Alaska.

• Population structure of Pacific herring spawning aggregations in the eastern Bering Sea using low coverage, whole genome sequencing
• Genomic sex determination of Pacific herring
• Describing the biogeographical break between Pacific herring populations in the Bering Sea and northern Gulf of Alaska