Allozymic variation in Mediterranean hake Merluccius merluccius (Gadidae)

Four hundred and twenty individual hake from 10 sample sites in Mediterrane an Sea were analysed in order to study genetic variability and identify gen etic stock structure. Twenty loci were identified, four of which were polym orphic at the 95% level: ADH* PGI-1* PGI-2* and SOD-1*. Average observed an d expected heterozygosity were 0.084 and 0.090, respectively. PGI-1* deviat ed from Hardy-Weinberg expectations due to an excess of heterozygotes and F -statistic analysis showed also a significant excess of heterozygosity ar S OD-1*. F-ST was not significant for each locus except for PGI-2*, where a s ingle sample from the Channel of Sicily (C5) showed a different pattern in allelic frequencies, probably caused by a stochastic event. The samples ana lyzed seemed to be homogeneous, bur future analyses may be necessary using other complementary molecular markers.