A Genetic Assessment of Channeled Whelk, Busycotypus canaliculatus, Population Structure and Occurence of Multiple Paternity in the mid-Atlantic

Channeled whelk (Busycotypus canaliculatus Linnaeus, 1758) are predatory marine gastropods that are found in intertidal regions of the continental slope along the U.S. Atlantic coast from Cape Cod, MA to Cape Canaveral, FL. They are an economically important species that supports a commercial whelk fishery along the Atlantic coast of the United States. The channeled whelk resource is managed at the state level in the mid-Atlantic region with current minimum landing size (MLS) set at 127 millimeters (mm) in New Jersey, 152.4 mm in Maryland and Delaware, and 139.7 mm in Virginia. Female channeled whelk harvested in Virginia and New Jersey have a low probability of being sexually mature, with channeled whelk in Virginia estimated to enter the fishery 2 years before maturity. The life history characteristics of channeled whelk including slow growth, late maturation, and direct development paired with unsuitable MLS, make this species vulnerable to overexploitation. In many states, females channeled whelk are being harvested before they are sexually mature, therefore it is crucial to understand the population structure and level of polyandry and how they could potentially be influencing genetic diversity. We proposed to investigate the population genetic structure and occurrence of polyandry in channeled whelk sampled from across the species range with specific focus on delineating structure within the mid-Atlantic region. This study used high-throughput genotyping-by –sequencing to assess the population genetic structure of 250 channeled whelk sampled from Massachusetts to South Carolina. These data were further used to assess the appropriate scaling for management of the channeled whelk resource in the mid-Atlantic region, which is threatened due to overharvest and removal of whelk before they are sexually mature.