Thousands of freshwater mussels released into James River
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An effort by three agencies last month could pack some punch for a native James River mollusk.
The James River Association, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Department of Wildlife Resources released more than 5,500 freshwater mussels into the James River in downtown Richmond. The conservation partners teamed up to help restore the populations of mussels in their native James River habitat, where each one will filter between 10 and 20 gallons of water per day, helping to improve water quality by removing algae, bacteria and other small particles.
“Freshwater mussels are essential members of the ecosystem providing cleaner water, keeping sediment in place, and providing food and habitat for other organisms,” says Erin Reilly, Staff Scientist for the James River Association.
Two species – the Alewife Floater and Yellow Lampmussel – were carefully placed on the river bottom by divers. Mussels were tagged with tiny markers called pit tags that are the size of a grain of rice, which will allow scientists to find these mussels in future years and collect data about their growth and survival.
Once prevalent in the James River, today freshwater mussels are imperiled due to pollution, dams and loss of suitable habitat. Virginia is home to 81 freshwater mussel species, 41 of which are considered endangered or threatened by the state.
“Virginia has been propagating and releasing freshwater mussels for over two decades, with most of the conservation and restoration efforts in watersheds like the Clinch River in southwest Virginia and the Nottoway River in southeast Virginia. With the positive results we have seen in those locations, we now hope to bring the same to the James River,” said Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Malacologist Brian Watson.
Plans to continue releasing mussels through early November in the Upper and Middle James River, including near Turkey Island Creek in Eastern Henrico and in Lynchburg, are underway.
Funding to support the work of this partnership and the propagation of freshwater mussels is being provided by the Good Shepherd Foundation.
To learn more about JRA's work across the watershed, visit https://thejamesriver.org/programs.
