Minimizing loss of genetic variation and wild fitness in semi-captive populations of endangered inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon

No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.

Atlantic salmon inhabiting the rivers that empty into the inner Bay of Fundy are genetically and phenotypically distinct from salmon elsewhere, and have recently been listed as Endangered under Canada's Species At Risk act. In the years 1998 to 2001, several hundred parr were collected from two of these rivers, and used to initiate a recovery program for this unique assemblage of Atlantic salmon. Microsatellite genotype information and kinship analyses were then used to recover founder genetic variation from the original collections, and parentage analyses employed to minimize loss of genetic variation in the production of subsequent generations. Adaptation to captive conditions is being minimized by 1) equalizing family size, and 2) releasing offspring into native river habitat as unfed fry, and recovering wild-exposed individuals as either late stage parr or smolts, prior to their migration to marine waters, where current levels of marine morality are exceptionally high. The efficacy of different strategies in recovering founder diversity, and in minimizing the loss of genetic variation through time, will be reported and compared, as will the ability to recover families from captive and wild environments.