ORIGINAL ARTICLE: Ecogenetic model to explore fishinginduced ecological and evolutionary effects on growth and maturation schedules

There is increasing evidence that evolution occurs at a time scale relevant to population dynamics and natural resource management (e.g., Hendry et al. 2000; Conover and Munch 2002). Further, ecological processes (e.g., intra-specific competition, interacting species dynamics) can influence genetic selection and phenotypic expression within a population. As individual phenotypic expression (e.g., growth, age or size at maturation) is a function of both individual genetics and environmental (both biotic and abiotic) interactions, it can be quite difficult to predict and discriminate between ecological versus genetic changes in life-history traits. Most life-history traits are plastic and spatio-temporal variation in these traits generally does not arise due to genetic selection alone. Linkages between ecology and evolution are particularly relevant for fisheries management. Fish are generally selectively harvested based upon individual traits such as size, behavior, and location. Such selective harvesting can alter the genetic composition of the population and affect mean life-history traits, including growth rates and maturation schedules (Stokes et al. 1993; Heino 1998; Law 2000; Conover and Munch 2002; Heino and Godø 2002). In turn, as these traits have strong influence on a fish stock’s harvest potential, effective management of fisheries for sustainable yields and genetic diversity requires consideration of both