Electrophoretic, Morphometric, and Meristic Comparisons of Walleye Broodstock in South Dakota

Electrophoretic and morphological variability among walleyes collected from three upper Missouri River tributaries and a glacial lake in South Dakota was investigated, and an upper Mississippi River stock was electrophoretically compared to the South Dakota stocks. Allele frequencies of two (MDH-3, GMP-3) of the twenty-one loci examined differed significantly (P\u3c0. 05) between South Dakota and Mississippi River walleyes. Contingency chi-square tests of allele frequencies showed homogeneity among walleyes from the Missouri River tributaries, and significant (P\u3c0.001) heterogeneity (P\u3c0.001) at the GMP-3 locus between Missouri River and glacial lake stocks. A dendogram derived from Nei unbiased genetic identity values produced separate branchings for the South Dakota and Mississippi River walleyes. All four walleye stocks in South Dakota were morphologically variable, although no one character could be used as a diagnostic tool to separate the stocks visually. Discriminant function analysis of eight of the most powerful discriminatory characters was successful in correctly classifying walleyes by origin with 83-97% accuracy