A revised hypothesis for South African sardine stock structure

A new hypothesis for South African sardine stock structure has previously been conceptualised following newly available genomic and transcriptomic research, which added to the body of evidence already available regarding spatial structure within the South African sardine population (de Moor et al. 2022). This document further revises that hypothesis in the light of recent research into spawning assumptions. The hypothesis consists of two primary components: (i) some fish of Atlantic Ocean origin actively move eastward to take part in the Sardine Run on the East Coast; and (ii) some spawning products of Indian Ocean origin sardine are passively transported to the West Coast for a period of time before returning to the South Coast.