GEM3 Biologists Make Surprising Discovery

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ISU fish ecologists Ernest Keeley and Janet Loxterman have identified some of the last remaining native, genetically pure populations of Cutthroat Trout, including distinct subspecies variations, in the areas around Pocatello.

Recently, Keeley found a genetically pure population of cutthroat trout right under his nose, in a tributary of the Portneuf River that dumps into that stream within the city limits of one of the largest cities in Idaho, Pocatello. That tributary, City Creek, also features one of the most popular trails in the area and where it dumps into the Portneuf, the river is severely degraded.

ISU researchers study trout on the lower Portneuf River