Salmon from the chalk streams of
southern England are genetically unique, researchers have discovered.
The fish are classified as
Atlantic salmon (Salmo
salar), but research by the University of Exeter and the Game and Wildlife
Conservation Trust shows their genes are distinctly different from others of
the species.
The researchers studied five
chalk streams in Hampshire and Dorset - habitats they said were under
"massive pressure" from human activity.
Classifying chalk-stream salmon
as a separate sub-species could make it easier to protect them.
"Our study provides evidence
of the genetic distinctiveness of chalk-stream Atlantic salmon in southern
England," said Dr Jamie Stevens, of the University of Exeter.
"They are as different from
their non-chalk cousins as the salmon of the Baltic are, and people have
suggested the Baltic fish should be classified as a sub-species.
"While we found distinct
differences between chalk and non-chalk salmon, we found little genetic
differentiation within chalk-stream populations."
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