Nuclear DNA identification of migrating bull trout captured at the Puget Sound Energy diversion dam on the White River, Washington State.

Abstract

Bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) is a char listed as threatened under the United States Endangered Species Act throughout its range in the coterminous United States. Substantial morphological similarities between bull trout and Dolly Varden (S. malma) make field identification difficult. This has resulted in an incomplete understanding of their distribution and abundance in Washington State where these two species occur sympatrically. We used three diagnostic nuclear loci to determine the species of char collected at a trap on the White River in southern Puget Sound (Washington State, USA). Each of the 104 samples revealed the expected bull trout genotype at all three loci. This work presents three principle results: (i) the presence of a migratory bull trout population in southern Puget Sound; (ii) no evidence of migratory Dolly Varden over 3 years; and (iii) no evidence of hybridization was detected. These results also demonstrate how molecular markers can provide information essential to the conservation and management of these species.