Workshop sheds light on freshwater mussels
Knowledge of freshwater mussels in the region and beyond remains “under the surface,” Department of Fisheries and Oceans research scientist Todd Morris said during a recent training workshop in the hamlet of Florence along the Sydenham River.
“It’s really important to get the word out about that these animals are here, first of all, and (to) start to build the capacity within the academic and naturalist community and just people in general, of the awareness of the species — that they are here,” said Morris. The workshop was held in conjunction with the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority over two days, one in class and the other in the field. Students learned to locate and identify the mussels. Morris said at the Florence site alone, students and researchers can find as many as 25 species of the shellfish, although as many as 35 species exist within the river. Seventy per cent of those species are at risk because of changes in water quality and human recreational activity, such as boating and the use of all-terrain vehicles in waterways, said Morris.
He said most people think only of fish should they happen to encounter a riverbed like the one at Florence, but it’s different for mussels. “If you drive through with an ATV, the fish will move. It’s not a problem,” the scientist said. “But certainly, for mussels, they have no ability to move at all. So if they get run over it’s really bad for them.” Another risk for freshwater mussels is the possibility of zebra mussels entering the Sydenham. The invasive species, which have become well established in lakes Erie and St. Clair, could be devastating to the riverbeds, said Meg Sheldon, a Department of Fisheries and Oceans technician.
“If they came into somewhere like this, it could be a big disaster for our populations,” she said. Zebra mussels, which have byssal threads that attach to anything hard, can suffocate other mussels, starving and choking them as they can’t use their gills — something Sheldon said she’s seen happen in the Great Lakes where freshwater mussels were once prolific. Erin Carroll, biology manager for the conservation authority, said the Sydenham River has international significance because of its freshwater mussel population. “I want to encourage ownership of the river and exploring it, and getting excited about it and working
But certainly, for mussels, they have no ability to move at all. So if they get run over it’s really bad for them.
to protect it because we do have something very special,” said Carroll. “It looks like it’s not that great. It looks turbulent and muddy, but it is something special for us. For Morris, the more awareness the better, as a decline in mussel population and mussel beds is the first sign of a change in water quality as well as the overall condition of the aquatic ecosystem. Mussels play a role in not only the filtration of algae, but they also provide energy for other animals, he said. The mussels also stabilize the riverbed, creating habitats for fish, invertebrates, snakes and turtles. If a mussel bed was to die, the stream bottom would become unstable and would dislodge, he said.
In the case of mussel beds and populations in the Sydenham, Morris said things look good, with the discovery four years ago of a wavyrayed lampmussel, once considered an endangered species — a sign that things “are not too bad.”