Impacts of effective population size on genetic diversity in hatchery reared Brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) populations

Many populations of brown trout are managed by hatchery breeding and supportive release. Using a limited number of individuals as founders creates a bottleneck, which can lead to loss of genetic diversity in a population. In this study 17 populations of hatchery-reared brown trout were examined genetically using microsatellite markers. Genetic variation measured as gene diversity and allelic richness were analysed and the effects of effective population size of founders and time since founding on these parameters were explored. Allelic richness and gene diversity decreased with increasing time since founding of the stock, and there was a negative relationship between current effective population size and time since founding. Allelic richness was positively correlated with effective population size at founding. The results indicate that considerations concerning effective population size in hatcheries must be taken seriously to promote high levels of genetic variation among individuals and minimise loss of genetic diversity.