• Question: how does dirty water affect fresh water mussels?

    Asked by .S.L. to Karen on 9 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Karen

      Karen answered on 9 Nov 2018:

      One of the main things that happens is that the young mussels struggle to survive. The young mussels live in the gravel at the bottom of the riverbed. If there is too much soil in the water, it gets in to all the spaces in the gravel (where there should be clean water) and blocks them up. This means that the young mussels in the gravel can’t breathe and can’t get food! We think this is a big part of why the pearl mussel is going extinct!

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