Genetic Analysis and Age Determination of Chinook Salmon in the California Central Valley

Abstract

Salmon populations around the world have suffered from habitat loss and overfishing, and in the Pacific Northwest there are 26 subspecies of salmon classified as endangered. The future survival of the salmon populations is directly related to the management strategies of these populations. Two critical components of salmon management are age determination of the adults returning to spawn, and genetic analysis of the populations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the genetic structure of the salmon populations of three San Joaquin River tributaries in the California central valley using DNA isolated from salmon scales, and to develop a more efficient and accurate method for age determination using salmon scales, and eventually otoliths, analyzed with a confocal laser scanning microscope.