SynopsisWe report the finding of an established population of exotic Chinook salmon spawning in headwaters of the Santa Cruz River system (Argentina), the first for this species in an Atlantic basin of South America. Spawning takes place in the Caterina River, a small tributary of Lake Argentino, located 488.5 km from the ocean. Anadromy was verified by correspondence of N and C stable isotope ratios with those of fish captured by bottom-trawlers in the ocean and those of anadromous rainbow trout from the same river basin. The scale patterns of most fish examined were consistent with a stream-type life cycle (i.e., seaward migration by juveniles after a full year in fresh water). Two potential origins were identified for this population: in situ introductions of fish imported directly from the USA in the early 20th century or fish from two ranching experiments conducted in southern Chile during the 1980s. In the latter case, colonization would have proceeded through the Strait of Magellan, helped by prevailing eastward currents.

Many introduced species have become established throughout large areas of the world, causing millions of dollars in damages. The introduction of such pest species is universally condemned, and science and management efforts are geared toward eradication, containment, or prevention of future infestations. Meanwhile, other organisms are actively traded around the world for consumption, as well as recreational and aesthetic purposes, providing examples of the conflict between human development and conservation. When dealing with such species, are there ways to balance the competing goals of economic production and protection of nature? How can science help to identify suitable compromises? We address these questions by analyzing three case studies dealing with exotic salmonids in Patagonia: trout aquaculture in shallow, fishless lakes; trout recreational fisheries; and marine net‐pen salmon aquaculture. We propose that three interrelated properties of these case studies (scale, connectivity, and incentives for conservation) determine our ability to identify and promote situations that balance production and the integrity of nature.

ABSTRACT1. The Strobel Meseta, a basaltic plateau of Patagonia (Santa Cruz Province, Argentina), holds thousands of shallow fishless lakes that are prime habitat for many species of waterbirds, including some considered 'near threatened'. In recent years, several lakes have been stocked with trout which has created uncertainty about the potential effects on the recipient ecosystem.2. Limnological and topographical analyses were performed in a group of 32 lakes of the Strobel Meseta in order to characterize and classify individual lakes of the meseta based on their limnological and topographic features, analyze the association between lake type and use by aquatic birds in general and by the endemic hooded grebe (Podiceps gallardoi) in particular, and evaluate the overlap between trout aquaculture and critical habitat for waterbirds.3. The lakes were classified by multivariate analyses into four characteristic types: turbid, high conductivity lakes (T), small vegetated lakes (SV) and larger lakes which were subdivided into either vegetated (LV) or unvegetated (LU). In general, macrophyte cover was the main classificatory variable, whereas conductivity, pH, surface, and depth contributed moderately. Large vegetated lakes were generally found to be important for waterbirds and provided critical habitat for the hooded grebe, whereas trout farmers largely favoured large unvegetated lakes. However, since some large vegetated lakes have already been stocked, there is some level of geographical overlap between waterbird habitat and trout farming.4. The existence of some level of spatial segregation between production and critical waterbird habitat affords opportunities for designing a spatially-based management system for trout aquaculture.

ABSTRACT1. Conflicts between habitat use and conservation are inherent to the management of wetlands. A major challenge for their management is to preserve habitat while addressing the demands from multiple users. In southern Patagonia (Argentina), a growing aquaculture activity based on rainbow trout introductions in shallow lakes is generating concerns about the effects on the waterbird fauna, including some endemic species.2. Generalized linear models (GLM) were used to analyse data on the endemic hooded grebe (Podiceps gallardoi) collected over a diverse set of lakes to: (1) build presence-absence models as a function of environmental variables; (2) assess current and potential overlap with trout aquaculture; (3) explore the power of alternative lake assignment algorithms based on habitat variables to segregate critical habitat and aquaculture activities; and (4) explore the correlation between the probability of grebe presence and their abundance in given lakes.3. Hooded grebe presence is clearly correlated with macrophyte cover, lake area, and water conductivity. Medium size lakes, with a combination of emerging macrophytes, adjacent to open water areas had the highest probability of both hooded grebe presence and abundance.4. Different lake allocation scenarios are identified that could grant significant protection to hooded grebes without substantial losses for trout producers. The a priori probability to hold hooded grebe, assigned by the model based on lake characteristics, provides a tool that can be used by managing authorities to derive precautionary management rules to regulate aquaculture and to preserve primary hooded grebe habitat.

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