Microsatellite DNA population structure and stock identification of steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Nass and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia

Population structure and the application to genetic stock identification for steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in the Nass and Skeena Rivers in northern British Columbia was examined using microsatellite markers. Variation at 8 microsatellite loci (Oki200, Omy77, Ots1, Ots3, Ssa85, Ots100, Ots103, and Ots108) was surveyed for approximately 930 steelhead from 7 populations in the Skeena River drainage and 850 steelhead from 10 populations in the Nass River drainage, as well as 1550 steelhead from test fisheries near the mouth of each river. Differentiation among populations within rivers accounted for about 1.9 times the variation observed among years within populations, with differences between drainages less than variation among populations within drainages. In the Nass River, winter-run populations formed a distinct group from the summer-run populations. Winter-run populations were not assessed in the Skeena River watershed. Simulated mixed-stock samples suggested that variation at the 8 microsatellite loci surveyed should provide relatively accurate and precise estimates of stock composition for fishery management applications within drainages. In the Skeena River drainage in 1998, Babine River (27%) and Bulkley drainage populations (31%) comprised the main components of the returns. For the Nass River in 1998 steelhead returning to Bell-Irving River were estimated to have comprised 39% of the fish sampled in the test fishery, with another 27% of the returns estimated to be derived from Cranberry River. The survey of microsatellite variation did not reveal enough differentiation between Nass River and Skeena River populations to be applied confidently in estimation of stock composition in marine fisheries at this time.