Genetic evidence of a northward range expansion in the eastern Bering Sea stock of Pacific cod

Poleward species range shifts have been predicted to result from climate change, and many observations have confirmed such movement. Poleward shifts may represent a homogeneous shift in distribution, seasonal northward movement of specific populations, or colonization processes at the poleward edge of the distribution. The ecosystem of the Bering Sea has been changing along with the climate, moving from an arctic to a subarctic system. Several fish species have been observed farther north than previously reported and in increasing abundances. We examined one of these fish species, Pacific cod, in the northern Bering Sea (NBS) to assess whether they migrated from another stock in the eastern Bering Sea (EBS), Gulf of Alaska, or Aleutian Islands, or whether they represent a separate population. Genetic analyses using 3,599 single nucleotide polymorphism markers indicated that nonspawning cod collected in August 2017 in the NBS were similar to spawning stocks of cod in the EBS. This result suggests escalating northward movement of the large EBS stock during summer months. Whether the cod observed in the NBS migrate south during winter to spawn or remain in the NBS as a sink population is unknown.