Technical Report

Genetic Monitoring of the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow: Genetic Status of Wild and Captive Stocks in 2018

URL: https://webapps.usgs.gov/mrgescp/documents/Osborne-and-Turner_2018_Genetic-Monitoring-of-the-RGSM-Genetic-Status-of-Wild-and-Captive-Stocks-in-2018.pdf

Date: 2018/11/29

Author(s): Osborne M.J., Turner T.F.

Publication: Prepared for U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, 51 p.

Abstract:

We have conducted genetic monitoring of the Middle Rio Grande population of Rio Grande Silvery Minnow annually from 1999-2012 and resumed monitoring from 2014 through 2018. This work has included monitoring stocks that were bred or reared in captivity and released to the Rio Grande in New Mexico since 2002 at the commencement of the augmentation program. Genetic monitoring was based on genotyping 443 ‘wild’ Rio Grande Silvery Minnow collected (in December 2017 – February 2018) in all three occupied reaches of the Middle Rio Grande, and progeny of captive stocks from Southwestern Native Aquatic Resources and Recovery Center (n=399), and the Albuquerque Biological Park (n=50). These fish comprise the potential breeding population in 2018. In 2018, we also genotyped broodstock used to produce fish for release in fall of 2018, from Southwestern ARRC and Albuquerque Biological Park.