We will hybridize female pink salmon from Auke Creek near Juneau, Alaska, with males from Buskin River on Kodiak Island. Crosses using male Auke Creek fish will be controls. Estimates of interactive effects as well as additive genetic effects for development rate and pre-release survival will be made from data taken from a factorial mating design. F1 fish will be tagged and released. The breeding experiment will be repeated on returning F2 fish to test for effects that appear after alleles have assorted in the second generation.
Information concerning the genetic impact of cultured fish on wild stocks is generally unavailable.
However, such information is essential to the future of salmonid and other resources. These experiments will provide crucial information for enhancement and management decisions. They were mated in a factorial mating design that facilitates detection of genetic interaction in development which is predicted as a possible result of outbreeding depression. Adults will return in 1996. These returns will provide a one extreme control for part of our project.