Author(s): Tatsuaki Nakato
Linked Author(s): Tatsuaki Nakato
Keywords: Freshwater mussels; Mussel habitat; Endangered species; Higgins eye pearly mussel
Abstract: As part of the Mussel Coordination Team's 2007 Higgins eye pearly mussel (Lampsilis higginsii) relocation plan, Lucille A. Carver Mississippi Riverside Environmental Research Station (LACMRERS), The University of Iowa, and the Iowa DNR Fairport Fisheries Management recommended that juvenile Higgins eye pearly mussels be released in the Mississippi River near Fairport, Iowa in Pool 16. A multi-agency team, comprising the Illinois DNR, the Iowa DNR, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Rock Island District, and LACMRERS conducted detailed quantitative field surveys on the mussel population and its diversity during 12-13 September 2006. Sixteen different live freshwater mussel species were found in the mussel survey area. The most common species found out of 253 live mussels sampled was Threeridge (Amblema plicata: 17.8%), followed by Pimpleback (Quadrula pustulosa: 17.4%), Threehorn wartyback (Obliquaria reflexa: 15.8%), Washboard (Megalonaias nervosa: 12.3%), and Mapleleaf (Quadrula quadrula: 12.3%). Based on the field survey, 333 three-year old and 4,446 two-year old juvenile Higgins eye pearly mussels were released on 2 October 2007 to establish a new habitat in Pool 16.
Year: 2009