Genetic mixed‐stock analysis of lake‐run brown trout Salmo trutta fishery catches in the Inari Basin, northern Finland: implications for conservation and management

Genetic mixed‐stock analysis (MSA) of wild lake‐run brown trout Salmo trutta fishery catches (n = 665) from the Inari Basin (northern Finland) between 2006 and 2008 was carried out using a previously characterized baseline with 30 populations (n = 813) and 13 microsatellite loci. Altogether, 12 populations contributed significantly to mixed‐stock fisheries, with the Ivalojoki system being the major contributor (70%) to the total catch. When catches were analysed regionally, geographically nearby populations were the main contributors to the local catches, indicating that a large proportion of S. trutta occupy lacustrine areas near the natal river mouth rather than dispersing throughout the lake. Similarly, far upstream populations contributed insignificantly to catches. These findings have important implications for the conservation and sustainable fishery management of the Inari system.