ABSTRACT
The chromosomal analysis is usually applied to fish in order to analyze relationships between subspecies, species or taxons of a higher range. In the White Sea herring Clupea pallasi marisalbi, chromosomal analysis revealed differences between allopatric populations. The chromosomal studies of the White Sea herring and their population interpretation also have an interesting historical dimension. Since 1960s, population studies of the White Sea herring were accompanied by intense discussions and chromosomal data were in the very centre of the debate. Fast-growing herring from the Kandalaksha Bay and slow-growing herring from the Onega and Dvina bays had 2–4 secondary constrictions and the satellite chromosomes each, whereas in slow-growing herring from the Kandalaksha Bay these structures were totally absent. Intensive analyses proved that the Robertsonian translocation in the White Sea herring is caused by polymorphism. The translocation was found to be widely distributed in different stocks.
