Identification of Caspian salmon (Salmo caspius (Kessleri, 1877) and rainbow trout (Onchorhyncus mykiss (Walbaum 1792) escaping from breeding cages using Cyt b gene sequencing in the southern Caspian basin

Appearance identification of Caspian salmon (Salmo caspius (Kessleri, 1877) and rainbow trout (Onchorhyncus mykiss (Walbaum 1792), which may have escaped from breeding cages on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea or breeding grounds and into the sea. In this study, 20 fish from different regions of the Caspian Sea: Bandar Anzali (3 salmon), Tonekabon (4 salmon, 1 rainbow trout), Nowshahr (1 salmon, 1 salmon) Rainbow mite), Fereydunkenar (3 salmon), Sari (1 salmon, 1 rainbow trout) and Miankaleh (3 salmon, 1 rainbow trout) were caught and used as much as possible using genomic sequencing He distinguished and identified these two species. Some tail fins were isolated from all samples and fixed in 96% alcohol for DNA extraction and Bioneer extraction column kit was used for DNA extraction. Preliminary results of mitochondrial genome sequencing showed the proximity of the sequenced genome to the species registered in GenBank. Specimens caught in Miankaleh, Sari, Fereydunkenar and Anzali with a very similar appearance to salmon showed high genomic similarity with rainbow trout in sequencing. The rest of the samples showed the same salmon sequence with the appearance of salmon. According to this study, there is a possibility of salmon escaping from breeding cages, which can have a great impact on the ecosystem of the region and aquatic animals, including other species of fish.