Colonization of the Southern Patagonia Ocean by Exotic Chinook Salmon

Abstract:  Anadromous salmonids have been particularly successful at establishing wild populations in southern Patagonia, in contrast to their limited success elsewhere outside their native ranges. The most recent such discovery is a spawning population of Chinook salmon in the Santa Cruz River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean from Argentina. We used mitochondrial DNA analysis to discriminate between alternative potential sources of this population and were able to discard in situ introductions of fish imported directly from California in the early twentieth century. Our results showed that the fish most likely came from Puget Sound, Washington, imported into southern Chile for salmon-ranching experiments in the 1980s. This finding provides concrete evidence of colonization of Atlantic rivers from Pacific locations. The southern Pacific and Atlantic oceans provide a favorable marine environment for the success of invading salmon. In particular, the waters associated with fjords, southern channels, and the inshore portion of the Patagonian shelf provide a rather bounded, continuous waterway for exotic anadromous salmonids, rich in diverse forage species.