Genetic and Competition Impacts. Reintroduced individuals will either be sourced from a captive breeding program or will be native, naturally occurring individuals translocated from another location. In most cases, reintroduced or translocated individuals will be placed in locations where the species is absent, thereby avoiding any effects on existing local populations. However, in some cases, reintroduced or translocated individuals have the potential to affect the genetics of individuals that may be present in the region. Small genetic variabilities between locations are likely and may result in positive or neutral changes in progeny. There is also the possibility that interbreeding between native and captive breeding populations, or between native and translocated individuals, could result in negative phenotypic characteristics that reduce prey capture or predator avoidance rates. These types of genetic changes are very difficult to measure because they typically manifest as small physiological or behavioral changes that develop slowly over time. Large genetic differences that would preclude interbreeding or result in precipitous declines in progeny creation or survival are not expected for the following reasons. • Natural-born, translocated individuals will be placed in proximity to their natal watershed, where genetic differences with existing individuals are expected to be relatively small or negligible. • The reintroduction location for captive-bred individuals is unlikely to have an existing population because the purpose of the program is to reestablish populations where they are absent. • The captive breeding program will implement protocols that ensure native genetics are preserved and negative effects such as inbreeding and genetic depression are avoided or minimized. The reintroduction or translocation of a population could also result in intraspecies competition where the newly introduced population outcompetes an existing population for food or habitat resources. This impact is not expected for reasons similar to those described in the preceding paragraph. Translocated, naturally born individuals will be moved to locations proximate to the natal location, making it unlikely that differences in behavior could result in unusual intraspecies competition. Adverse effects from genetic differences or competition are not expected to occur for the reasons described above. However, in rare instances, these adverse effects may occur at some reintroduction sites, but these effects are...
