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Freshwater Mussels of the Chehalis Basin
F. Teal Waterstrat USFWS
What is a Freshwater Mussel? A Bivalve in the Order UNIONOIDA with a
• Complex and fascinating life history
• “Long” and sessile (stationary) adult life
• Filter feeding passion
• Highest species diversity in North America
• Great life in the Chehalis River
North America has ~300 of the ~850 species in the Order Unionioda
Typical Life Cycle
Nedeau, E. J., A. K. Smith, and J. Stone. 2009. Field Guide to the Freshwater Mussels of the Pacific Northwest. Fish and Wildlife Service.
• Mussels attracting fish videos
Looks like a good snack to a big fish! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0YTBj0WHkU&feature=related
Salmon and Mussels
• Mussels only go where the fish go
• Everyone cares about salmon and restoring their habitat
Freshwater Mussel Species in the Chehalis Basin and PNW
Western Pearlshell Margaritifera falcata
Western Ridged Mussel Gonidea angulata
Floaters Anodonta sp(p)
Western Pearlshell Margaritifera falcata
Photo Roger Tabor USFWS
Photo Lee Cain Astoria High School
Juvenile Western Pearlshell Margaritifera falcata
with byssal thread
Photo Kevin Aitkin USFWS
Chehalis River near the Wakefield Road
Bridge near Elma, WA
Western Ridged Mussel Gonidea angulata
Photo Kevin Aitkin USFWS
Photo Kevin Aitkin USFWS
Chehalis River near the Wakefield Road
Bridge near Elma, WA
Floaters Anodonta spp.
Photo Roger Tabor USFWS
Photo Roger Tabor USFWS Lake Quinault, WA
Where in the Chehalis are the Mussels?
• Insert Chehalis Watershed map with mussels
• Add circles to thesis sites
Study objectives
• Identify relative abundance, summer distribution, and fish assemblages in the mainstem and Upper Chehalis sub-basin
• Document presence of all species observed (including freshwater mussels) in study area
Riverscape Methods
Habitat Characteristics
• Maximum depth
• Average depth
• Wetted/bankfull width
• Substrate type
• Pool count
• Offchannel area count
• Tributary/water inputs
• Channel type
Non-detection
What Ecological Services do Mussels Provide?
• Cleaning the Water
• Concentrating Nutrients
• System Sentinels
– Record keepers
– Bioaccumulation
– Reproduction
• Food Source
The Chehalis River bed just south of Elma is covered in over 100,000 Pearlshell and a
Smattering of Ridged Mussels
Watch as mussels improve water quality…
Cleaning the Water
Mussels filter water 24 hours a day!
Old-growth of the Rivers
www.rmtrr.org
www.utmsi.utexas.edu
Concentrate Nutrients! Record keepers!
• ~300 species in North America
• Most endangered faunal group in North America
– 70% of the species are imperiled or extinct
Freshwater Mussel Status
Photo by USFWS
Vanishing in the Northwest
• !
1993
2000
2012
Why are They Vanishing in the Northwest?
• Urbanization
• Dams
• Host Fish
• Water Quality
• Habitat
• Invasive Species
• Restoration Projects!
Ohop Creek Restoration
What needs to be done for mussels
• Map their distribution
• Monitor the populations
• Inform the conservation agencies
• Look before you restore-de-water
Non Native Mussel Species
Zebra Mussel (Dreissena polymorpha)
• Native to Caspian Sea and Ural River in Asia
• 700,000 per meter2 in Great Lakes
• Cut water flow that power companies draw from the Great Lakes
• Does not occur in Washington
Quagga Mussel Dreissena rostriformis bugensis
• Native to Dneiper River drainage of Ukraine and Ponto-Caspian Sea in Asia
• Up to 4cm in length
• First found west of Mississippi at Lake Mead in January 2007
• Found at depths up to 130 meters
• Does not occur in Washington
Compare: Zebra Mussel to Quagga Mussel
Zebra Mussel Invasion
Zebra and Quagga Mussel – Present Distribution
Photo Roger Tabor USFWS Lake Washington, WA
Any Questions Before We talk about What to Wear?