Massive freshwater mussel die-off is ecological mystery

Digital Journal ^ | 12/17/19 | KAREN GRAHAM

[Rebelbase]

Abingdon - The crystal -clear waters of the Clinch River, which meanders southwest across the Virginia-Tennessee border, look clean and healthy. But a mysterious die-off of freshwater mussels in the river has scientists scrambling to find the cause.

{snip}Since 2016, though, the Clinch River has seen 10 of its 56 species of mussels have gone extinct with another 20 species now considered endangered - like the fluted kidneyshell, snuffbox, birdwing pearly mussel, and the shiny pigtoe.

The pheasantshell mussel, once one of the Clinch’s most abundant mussel species, has plummeted by more than 90 percent, from a population estimated to be 94,000 in 2015 to less than 14,000 today. The rest of the various mussel populations have dropped 30 percent, leaving the Clinch River with the highest concentration of endangered aquatic species on the continent,

Die-off is not an isolated problem

The Clinch River mussel die-off is not an isolated incident. Throughout the U.. and Europe, staggering numbers of freshwater mussels are dying off. There have been attempts to figure out the cause, and everything from infectious diseases and climate change to water pollution has been explored.

[GOPJ]

That would be tricky...

We’re blessed in this country with people who can figure these kind of things out. That said, Greek chorus wild guesses are much more fun.

:)

[fieldmarshaldj]

*ping*