Incorporating Genetic Data Into Population Introduction Programs

Population introductions have become a common method for conserving threatened and endangered fish species.  Introductions include range expansions, for the purpose of creating artificial refugia, and also reintroductions into portions of the historical range from which local populations have been extirpated. Although early introduction efforts were often carried out opportunistically with minimal planning, biologists now recognize the importance of careful planning and developing long-term monitoring and evaluation programs for population introductions. Genetic data are increasingly represented among the factors considered in the introduction planning process, and are also being increasingly used to evaluate the success of various introduction strategies. Genetic data can be used to inform decisions regarding selection of source populations, for example, to maximize genetic diversity or to identify lineages or populations similar to one which was previously extirpated. Once populations have been introduced, genetic data are useful for evaluating the level of variation in the introduced population relative to the source population, determining which source populations were most successful, and determining which founding individuals successfully spawned. This symposium will focus on case studies which illustrate how genetic data are presently being incorporated into planning and evaluation processes for fish introduction efforts. Topics will include use of genetic data to help select among potential donor populations for introduction efforts, designing introduction strategies that maximize genetic diversity and effective size in the introduced population, and analysis of genetic data to infer dynamics of introduced populations. Presentations will cover a variety of different taxa, genetic markers and analyses, and will provide the audience with an opportunity to compare the different ways in which genetic data are currently being incorporated into introduction programs.