Abstract
Migratory bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) that spawned in the Clark Fork River drainage historically inhabited Lake Pend Oreille as subadult and adult fish. If this premise is correct, the construction of Cabinet Gorge Dam disrupted the connectivity of the Pend Oreille / Clark Fork metapopulation. We used eight microsatellite loci to compare bull trout collected at the base of Cabinet Gorge Dam to fish sampled both above and below the dam. These data were analyzed using Cavalli-Sforza and Edwards' (CSE) chord distance and Paetkau’s individual assignment test. The CSE UPGMA and Paetkau’s individual assignment test suggest that Cabinet Gorge bull trout are genetically more similar to tributaries sampled from above the dam. This relationship suggests that the risks associated with passing a limited number of radio tagged adults are minimal compared to the potential genetic and demographic benefits to populations located above the dam.
Start Date
14-4-2000 12:00 AM
End Date
14-4-2000 12:00 AM
Document Type
Poster
Determination of the Origin of Bull Trout below Cabinet Gorge Dam
Migratory bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) that spawned in the Clark Fork River drainage historically inhabited Lake Pend Oreille as subadult and adult fish. If this premise is correct, the construction of Cabinet Gorge Dam disrupted the connectivity of the Pend Oreille / Clark Fork metapopulation. We used eight microsatellite loci to compare bull trout collected at the base of Cabinet Gorge Dam to fish sampled both above and below the dam. These data were analyzed using Cavalli-Sforza and Edwards' (CSE) chord distance and Paetkau’s individual assignment test. The CSE UPGMA and Paetkau’s individual assignment test suggest that Cabinet Gorge bull trout are genetically more similar to tributaries sampled from above the dam. This relationship suggests that the risks associated with passing a limited number of radio tagged adults are minimal compared to the potential genetic and demographic benefits to populations located above the dam.