Black spruce grows almost as far north as the Arctic Ocean.
Investigating the Disappearance of the Westslope Cutthroat Trout from British Columbia
Genetic invasion
The west-slope cutthroat trout (native to many of the forested streams in the Pacific Northwest) has all but been eliminated from most of its native territory due to the introduction of rainbow trout. The two species cannot co-exist. Inbreeding of the fish will lead to the eventual extinction of the west-slope cutthroat trout. One of the last areas where pure cutthroat trout live is in the Upper Kootenay River basin of southeastern British Columbia. Researchers from Mirkwood Ecological Consultants, Ltd., British Columbia, and the University of British Columbia, are conducting genetic work on the surviving west-slope cutthroat populations in several watersheds. Information from this work will help scientists to understand the levels of genetic purity still found in populations of the cutthroat trout, and will assist with the development and implementation of a much needed conservation strategy.
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