Using DNA to help protect and restore the California Golden Trout

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The presentation will give an overview of the Golden Trout Wilderness located in the southern portion of California’s Sierra Nevada range.

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The wilderness area is named for the California golden trout (O. mykiss aquabonita), the designed freshwater fish of the State of California, whose

native range is limited to just 2 adjacent watersheds in California. The presentation will go over threats to golden trout and recent club-led monitoring to sample DNA to document the presence of golden trout and impacts from non-native brown trout (S. trutta).

 

Chad's bio:

 

I am a club member, husband and father of a two kids who fish. I am also a San Diego native living in Encinitas and 3rd generation SDSU graduate.  Taught to fish by my father and grandmother and went to school for training in aquatic ecology.  I work for the State of California’s Water Quality Control Board where I do wate0r quality monitoring, such as sampling for pollution in fish and shellfish as well as collection of stream benthic macroinvertebrates to determine stream health.