Commercial Broodstock Development in Signal Crayfish: Determination of the Genetic Variability of Crayfish Stocks Harvested from 10 sites in the Lower Fraser Valley

Description

The objective of this project is the collection and identification of genetically diverse stocks or sources of Signal crayfish from throughout the BC lower mainland. Signal crayfish from 10 freshwater sites within the Fraser River drainage west of Hope, B.C. will be live-trapped and transferred to individual stock rearing facilities at the Brumar freshwater rearing hatchery. Tissues samples from 50 adult crayfish from each site will be collected, preserved and transferred to the Pacific Biological Station in Nanaimo, B.C. for DNA analysis. We will use microsatellite loci isolated from crayfish species worldwide to characterize genetic variation within and between sample locations. We expect to obtain at least eight loci that are polymorphic in P. leniusculus and will produce multilocus genotypes on individual crayfish collected from the wild and used in controlled matings (one male with one female) within the Brumar hatchery.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2005 - 2008

Ecoregion(s)

Pacific: Strait of Georgia

Principal Investigator(s)

Ruth Withler
Email: WithlerR@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca