In project Gemfish, we are using newly-developed genetic markers to determine the number of fisheries stocks in southern Australia. Its standard practice to test the new genetic markers on related species. In most studies this helps to identify the wrong samples. But, this is not an issue for this study as there is only one gemfish (Rexea solandri) in Australia.
To do the appropriate genetic tests, Andrea Armani from FishLab in Italy has sent us DNA from four related species from the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. One of them is the escolar (left) that looks pretty similar to the Australian gemfish.
