New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that an innovative project that is relocating freshwater mussels in the Grasse River during an ongoing river remediation project is showing early signs of success and reporting a 98 percent survival rate.
As part of an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-led cleanup project to remove polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from river sediments, a seven-mile stretch of the lower Grasse River in northern New York in being dredged and capped starting next year. Before dredging begins, DEC is collecting mussels from the river bottom and temporarily placing them in areas that won’t be subject to capping or dredging. The New York State Museum, St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, and SUNY Cobleskill are collaborating with DEC on the project.
Divers are currently working in the Grasse River, collecting mussels and relocating them out of harm’s way. DEC is relocating 4,700 mussels this year in addition to the more than 4,000 mussels moved in 2017, and approximately 2,000 mussels were safely placed in cages in other parts of the river. Approximately 98 percent of these relocated mussels survived the winter, proving the applicability of this previously untried technique. Mussels that were not caged were placed back into locations in the river where remediation efforts will not affect these bivalves.
Surveys of the Grasse River have shown that 10 different mussel species are found in the river, four of which are listed as Species of Greatest Conservation Need. Mussels are important for the healthy functioning of freshwater ecosystems and can make up a majority of the biomass within an ecosystem. Results of this work have demonstrated that the Grasse River has a dense and robust mussel population.
In addition, a healthy mussel population directly benefits the water quality of the area. As filter feeders, mussels obtain their food by filtering out microscopic organisms, mostly microalgae, from the water column. Mussel restoration offers the potential, as water quality improves, to provide a more stable environment for additional mussel growth.
Because the geographic scope of the remedial project is so vast, EPA estimates that up to 1.4 million mussels will be killed during the dredging and capping. Natural recolonization of the remediated river sediments by mussels would take decades without help. This initial effort is to provide small founder colonies to jump-start future recovery.
The relocation project is supported by Return a Gift to Wildlife, a state program funded by voluntary donations New Yorkers consider on their tax returns.
Photo of east elliptio mussel courtesy DEC.
“DEC is relocating 4,700 mussels this year in addition to the more than 4,000 mussels moved in 2017, and approximately 2,000 mussels were safely placed in cages in other parts of the river. ”
“Because the geographic scope of the remedial project is so vast, EPA estimates that up to 1.4 million mussels will be killed during the dredging and capping.”
>> Save 10,000 mussels kill off nearly 1.5 million! Wouldn’t it make more sense if our government just didn’t allow polluting corporations to have free reign o’er the landscape to pollute as they wish? To not allow them to murder ecosystems so that a few people may get rich?
“Mussels are important for the healthy functioning of freshwater ecosystems and can make up a majority of the biomass within an ecosystem.”
>> But let us allow the polluting of these freshwater ecosystems! Right DEC? Right NY State?
Charlie this is about cleaning up an already polluted area. They should do what you suggest but that won’t fix here what is already broken. Right?
Glad to see them going to some length to protect what they can.
Agreed Paul but like I say above if they wouldn’t have allowed the polluting in the first place, which they continue to do, they wouldn’t have to go these lengths. It is very sad the end result of the way we conduct business! What we cannot replace we should not destroy.
How many surveys were done prior to the relocation? What was the total cost of the relocation including any pre-surveys and post surveys?
Would like to learn more about freshwater mussels, especially the possibility of re-introducing/restocking the dwindling population in the Wallkill River, Montgomery, NY 12549.
The Wallkill River Watershed Alliance and the Town’s Conservation Advisory Council are two volunteer entities that I work closely with. Also have local state support politically if necessary. The river here is in a bad way, we’d like to start cleaning it up habitat wise. We have already undertaken major work with Trees for Tribs along the Muddy Kill will flows into the Wallkill RIver at the Park at Benedict Farm.
Thank you,
Susan