communication). Thus, about the only inteqjretation that can be made from these data is 

 that there may be some non-hybridized westslope cutthroat trout and there are definitely 

 some hybridized individuals between westslope cutthroat and rainbow trout in the West 

 Fork Bitterroot River below Painted Rocks Reservoir. 



There is strong suspicion (Chris Clancy, personal communication) that sample 1301 may 

 not have actually come from the West Fork Bitterroot River drainage. Its purported 

 location of TIS R22W SIS places it below Painted Rocks Reservoir. Allozyme analysis 

 indicated it to be a mixture of non-hybridized westslope cutthroat trout (5) and fish 

 definitely of hybrid origin between westslope and Yellowstone cutthroat trout (4). It is 

 the presence of Yellowstone cutthroat trout alleles in the sample that makes its location 

 suspicious. Hybridization with Yellowstone cutthroat trout appears to be essentially 

 absent from West Fork Bitterroot River tributaries, and thus there does not appear to be a 

 source of such hybridized individuals in the drainage for a mixed population, middle 

 mainstem location. 



Sincerely; 



Robb Leary l . "■ , > >' ■ '"' ' 



I- : I 



