A team of Central Michigan University researchers spent the summer in a lab beginning to grow a globally rare mussel.
The snuffbox mussel is only found in the US and Canada. It grows microscopically in the sand of several Michigan rivers. It's nearing extinction led seven undergrad and graduate students to conduct unique research to propagate this water-filtering animal.
Daelyn Woolnough, Associate Research Professor in the Biology Department at CMU said its reproduction is a long but unique process.
“This is the very first time in Michigan that we’ve been able to make this process happen essentially in the river itself. And after we’ve done this putting the mussel onto the host fish, the host fish gets into the cages, the microscopic mussels will then drop off of the host fish into the sediment and then we leave them for over ten months before we check on them,” she said.
Woolnough said a declining population of the snuffbox mussels is concerning. They are filter feeders and can significantly improve water quality.
“When all of those shells are there it actually helps the river erode less, invertebrates attach to their shells as habitat and invertebrates are really great for our fish population. So, often when you find lots and different freshwater mussels you find a variety of freshwater fish as well which are always good for the ecosystem but also good for recreation as well.”
Woolnough said at their lab, the fish will be in the cages until next week. They plan to eventually release the mussels into nearby rivers, including the Grand River.
