Freshwater Mussel Cultivation and Recovery at Virginia’s Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center

byMichael J. Pinder, Nathan L. Eckert, Joseph J. Ferraro, & Brian T. Watson

Virginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries

Program Goal

Recover endangered mussel populations in the upper Tennessee River drainage

Extirpated or Extinct

14%

Non-listed33%

Federal Endangered

24%

State Endangered

29%

South Fork Holston River

AWCC

5 acre pond0.25 acre

pond

Buller Fish Cultural Station

AWCC Water Sources

0.25 Acre Fishless Pond –

Added 1998

5 Acre Musky Pond - Added 2004

South Fork Holston River

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov

Month

Me

an

te

mp

era

ture

(C

) SFHRClinchAWCC

Mean Monthly Water Temperature 2004 Comparisons For Mussel Cultivation

a

b

a

a

b bb

b

bb bb

b b

bba aa a

a

a

Monthly temperature means with the same letter are not significantly different (P > 0.05)

a a

b

b

* Incomplete data set

**

Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center

Mussel Holding Building

Adult Mussel Holding Tanks

Benefits

Habitat specialization

Increased spawning chances

Isolation of species/drainages

flow

Quarantine tank

Quarantine tank outflow

Species Held at the AWCC--37Margaritiferidae

Cumberlandia monodonta

Unionidae Amblemines

Amblema plicataCyclonaias tuberculataElliptio crassidensElliptio dilatataFusconaia barnesianaFusconaia ebenaFusconaia subrotundaLexingtonia dolabelloides

Plethobasus cyphyusPleurobema oviformeQuadrula c. strigillataQuadrula pustulosaQuadrula quadrula

AnodontinesAlasmidonta atropurpureaLasmigona holstoniaLasmigona costataPyganodon grandis

LampsilinesActinonaias ligamentinaActinonaias pectorosaDromus dromasEpioblasma brevidensEpioblasma capsaeformisEpioblasma f. walkeriEpioblasma triquetraLampsilis fasciolaLampsilis ovataLemiox rimosusLigumia rectaMedionidus conradicusPotamilus alatusPtychobranchus fasciolarisPtychobranchus subtentumVillosa irisVillosa perpurpureaVillosa vanuxemensis

PleuroceridaeIo fluvialis

Species Held at the AWCC--37Margaritiferidae

Cumberlandia monodonta

Unionidae Amblemines

Amblema plicataCyclonaias tuberculataElliptio crassidensElliptio dilatataFusconaia barnesianaFusconaia ebenaFusconaia subrotundaLexingtonia dolabelloidesPlethobasus cyphyus

Pleurobema oviformeQuadrula c. strigillataQuadrula pustulosaQuadrula quadrula

AnodontinesAlasmidonta atropurpureaLasmigona holstoniaLasmigona costataPyganodon grandis

LampsilinesActinonaias ligamentinaActinonaias pectorosaDromus dromasEpioblasma brevidensEpioblasma capsaeformisEpioblasma f. walkeriEpioblasma triquetraLampsilis fasciolaLampsilis ovataLemiox rimosusLigumia rectaMedionidus conradicusPotamilus alatusPtychobranchus fasciolarisPtychobranchus subtentumVillosa irisVillosa perpurpureaVillosa vanuxemensis

PleuroceridaeIo fluvialis

23 of 37 species have become gravid

AWCC Lab

Mussel Propagation Units

75, 45 & 15 Gallon Tanks

Top view - Tank floor w/ air supply

100 µm plankton net to collect juvenile mussels

flow

Mussel Propagation Units

20-40 µm Sand Filter

Ultra-violet Filter

20 µm Bag Filters

Pool Heater

5,500 Gallon

Water Tank

Recirculating Propagation System

Bucket Juvenile Rearing

2 buckets seeded together w/ a submersible pump

Nytex chambers in upper bucket hold juveniles

Mussel Rearing Unit

50 µm bag canister filter

5 L round container

Growth of Ligumia recta in silica & limestone sand

substrate

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

1 14 45 75 105 135

Days

Ave

rag

e L

eng

th (

Mic

ron

s)

Limestone-- 79.7%

Silica-- 77.3%

Intermediate Rearing System300 micron filtration & higher flow rate Larger pan with more substrate

Spiny riversnail, Io fluvialis

Size ranged from 3-21mm at 90 days

Mussel Production and Release at the AWCC

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

2001 2002 2003 2004 2005

Produced

Released

Nu

mb

er o

f Ju

ven

iles

(10

00’s

)

Year

4 5 4

9

8

12

12

Mussel Augmentation Reaches

1=Lower Powell, 2=Lower Clinch, 3=Clinch Islands, 4=Middle Clinch, 5=Upper Clinch, 6=N.F. Holston

Powell

River

Clinch

River

N.F. Holston

RiverCopper

Cree

k

M.F. Holst

on

S.F. Holston

Clinch R.

Little R.

Big Moccasin Cr.LEE

SCOTTWASHINGTON

WISE RUSSEL

TAZEWELL

WYTHE

BLAND

SMYTH

10 miles

1 2

3

64

5

TN

KY

GA

VA

NC

SC

WV

AL

Recent Release Sites Within

The Tennessee River System

Upper

Lower

Clinch @ Cedar BluffClinch @ Richlands

Clinch @ Sneedville, TN

Powell @ 833 Bridge

Powell @ Bales Ford, TN Clinch @ Clinchport

S.F.Holston @ Friendship

Clinch @ Cleveland

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

2 4 6 8

Lampsilis fasciola Released in 2001 and Recovered from 2002-05 at Clinchport, Clinch River, Virginia

Year Class

Sh

ell

len

gth

(m

m)

100

19

2313

15

Mussel Restoration Funding

• Virginia Nongame Tax Checkoff

• ESA Section 6

• State Wildlife Grants

• NRDA Settlement Grants Certus – Cedar Bluff

Lone Mountain – Powell River

Nathan Eckert - Freshwater Mussel Recovery Coordinator

Joe Ferraro - Freshwater Mussel Propagation Specialist

Amanda Wood - Biologist Assistant

Jonathan Orr - Wildlife Worker

Mike Pinder and Brian Watson – Regional Wildlife Diversity Biologists

Staffing

• Refine systems to maximize survival and growth

Future Plans

• Refine systems to maximize survival and growth

• Develop methods to propagate nongame fish for use as mussel hosts and recovery of endangered fish species

Future Plans

• Refine systems to maximize survival and growth

• Develop methods to propagate nongame fish for use as mussel hosts and recovery of endangered fish species

• Design a state-of-the-art facility to cultivate rare aquatic fauna

Future Plans

AWCCProposed New Site

AWCC Proposed New Facility Site

Conceptual Site Plan for the AWCC

Source: FishPro / Cochran & Wilken Inc.Consultng Engineers and Scientists

AWCC Building Floor Plan

Source: FishPro / Cochran & Wilken Inc.Consultng Engineers and Scientists

PropagationLab

Classroom / Meeting room

Lobby / Outreach

Office

Office

Office

BR

BR

BR

MachineRoom

AHAB room

Open Area for:

Juvenile Rearing Units Intermediate Growout UnitsMussel Propagation Units

Adult Mussel Holding TanksHost Fish Holding TanksFish Propagation Units K

itch

en

Thank You