Genetic monitoring of steelhead in the Klickitat River to estimate productivity, straying, and migration timing

Salmonids with complex life history variation present challenges for conservation management, but genetic approaches alongside fisheries monitoring can address questions regarding viability of natural populations. We genotyped adult (n=3,108) and juvenile (n=2,624) samples of anadromous Oncorhynchus mykiss that were collected in the Klickitat River, WA, USA at traps in the lower drainage to examine tributary level productivity, straying from outside sources and variation in adult migration timing. Genetic assignment of steelhead from this system indicated that the majority were produced within or near tributaries of the middle Klickitat River (juvenile mean = 72.8%; adult mean = 87.3%). Analyses with parentage-based tagging identified that most hatchery-origin adults were assigned to the Skamania Hatchery (80.8%) as expected since this has been the release stock for decades within the Klickitat River drainage. Hatchery-origin adults were also identified from programs operating outside ..., ,