Freshwater Mussel Cultivation and Recovery at Virginias Aquatic Wildlife Conservation CenterbyMichael J. Pinder, Nathan L. Eckert, Joseph J. Ferraro, & Brian T. WatsonVirginia Department of Game & Inland Fisheries

Program GoalRecover endangered mussel populations in the upper Tennessee River drainageNon-listed33%Federal Endangered24%State Endangered29%

Buller Fish Cultural Station

AWCC Water Sources 0.25 Acre Fishless Pond Added 1998 5 Acre Musky Pond - Added 2004South Fork Holston River

Mean Monthly Water Temperature 2004 Comparisons For Mussel CultivationabaabbbbbbbbbbbbaaaaaaMonthly temperature means with the same letter are not significantly different (P > 0.05)aabb* Incomplete data set**

Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center

Mussel Holding Building

Adult Mussel Holding TanksBenefitsHabitat specializationIncreased spawning chancesIsolation of species/drainagesflowQuarantine tankQuarantine tank outflow

Species Held at the AWCC--37MargaritiferidaeCumberlandia monodontaUnionidae AmbleminesAmblema 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 vanuxemensisPleuroceridaeIo fluvialis

Species Held at the AWCC--37MargaritiferidaeCumberlandia monodontaUnionidae AmbleminesAmblema plicataCyclonaias tuberculataElliptio crassidensElliptio dilatataFusconaia barnesianaFusconaia ebenaFusconaia subrotundaLexingtonia dolabelloidesPlethobasus 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 vanuxemensisPleuroceridaeIo fluvialis

23 of 37 species have become gravid

AWCC Lab

Mussel Propagation Units75, 45 & 15 Gallon TanksTop view - Tank floor w/ air supply100 m plankton net to collect juvenile musselsflow

Mussel Propagation Units20-40 m Sand FilterUltra-violet Filter20 m Bag FiltersPool Heater5,500 Gallon Water Tank

Recirculating Propagation System

Bucket Juvenile Rearing2 buckets seeded together w/ a submersible pumpNytex chambers in upper bucket hold juveniles

Mussel Rearing Unit50 m bag canister filter5 L round container

Growth of Ligumia recta in silica & limestone sand substrate

Chart2

238238

583.6636.3

13811756

23542789

24502987.3

26173033

Limestone-- 79.7%

Silica-- 77.3%

Days

Average Length (Microns)

Sheet1

11/4/05

RU3

Gravel UnitsSand Units

D1GravelD2Sand

DateLengthHeightSurvivalDateLengthHeightSurvivalOverall survivalGravelSand

7/19/05238262100%7/19/05238262100%Day 1100100

8/2/055914698/2/056455152wksnot takennot taken

8/29/05135398895%8/29/051575111291%6wks86.7%79.0%

9/26/052465158985%9/26/052646166687%10wks79.6%78.3%

10/24/052571163984.5%10/26/053120193885.5%14wks79.2%77.2%

11/23/052498158585.2%11/23/052966182185%20 wks79.7%77.3%

D4GravelD3SandLengthOverall growthLimestone-- 79.7%Silica-- 77.3%

DateLengthHeightSurvivalDateLengthHeightSurvival1238238

7/19/05238262100%7/19/05238262100%14584636

8/4/056084968/4/056585294513811756

9/1/05143998592%9/1/051903128093%7523542789

9/28/052276148285.0%9/28/052913183591%10524502987

10/27/052394156685%10/27/052685167691%13526173033

11/23/052646173186%11/23/053124190591%

AverageMicrons/dayGravelSand

D5GravelD6SandLength

DateLengthHeightSurvivalDateLengthHeightSurvival2wks2528

7/20/05238262100%7/27/05238262100%6wks2840

8/4/055524488/8/0560648764%10wks3537

8/29/05135197273%9/5/051790114953%14wks37

9/26/052321150869%10/3/052808176657%

10/26/052885178468%10/31/053157190855%Average%growth/dayGravelSand

11/23/052206149168%11/23/053010185756%Length

2wks0.180.19

6wks0.080.10

Assume the first date is Day 1 for those mussels10wks0.060.06

14wks0.040.04

Temperature hit a plateau around 9/26/05 sampling, and dropped steadily down to winter temperatures by 10/26/05 sampling

Sheet1

Limestone-- 79.7%

Silica-- 77.3%

Days

Average Length (Microns)

Sheet2

Sheet3

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

Spiny riversnail, Io fluvialisSize ranged from 3-21mm at 90 days

Mussel Production and Release at the AWCC Number of Juveniles (1000s)Year454981212

TNKYGAVANCSCWVALRecent Release Sites Within The Tennessee River SystemUpperLowerClinch @ Cedar BluffClinch @ RichlandsClinch @ Sneedville, TNPowell @ 833 BridgePowell @ Bales Ford, TNClinch @ ClinchportS.F.Holston @ FriendshipClinch @ Cleveland

Mussel Restoration FundingVirginia Nongame Tax CheckoffESA Section 6State Wildlife GrantsNRDA Settlement Grants Certus Cedar BluffLone Mountain Powell River

StaffingNathan 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

Future PlansRefine systems to maximize survival and growth

Future PlansRefine systems to maximize survival and growthDevelop methods to propagate nongame fish for use as mussel hosts and recovery of endangered fish species

Future PlansRefine systems to maximize survival and growthDevelop methods to propagate nongame fish for use as mussel hosts and recovery of endangered fish speciesDesign a state-of-the-art facility to cultivate rare aquatic fauna

AWCCAWCC Proposed New Facility Site

Conceptual Site Plan for the AWCCSource: FishPro / Cochran & Wilken Inc.Consultng Engineers and Scientists

AWCC Building Floor PlanSource: FishPro / Cochran & Wilken Inc.Consultng Engineers and ScientistsPropagationLabClassroom / Meeting roomLobby / OutreachOfficeOfficeOfficeBRBRBRMachineRoomAHAB roomOpen Area for:

Juvenile Rearing Units Intermediate Growout UnitsMussel Propagation UnitsAdult Mussel Holding TanksHost Fish Holding TanksFish Propagation UnitsKitchen

Thank You

The upper Tennessee River drainage of southwestern Virginia is well known for its high numbers of imperiled freshwater mussels. Over of the 50 known species in this drainage are either state and federally threatened and endangered. In order to reverse this trend, the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, over the last 7 years, began a program to cultivate populations for release into the wild. This presentation will provide an overview of this program and highlight its progress and accomplishments provide ts directions in the upcoming years. We were able to accomplish this program In 1997, working cooperatively with the Hatchery Section of the Fisheries Division, we were able to obtain space at the Buller Fish Cultural Station near Marion in southwestern Virginia to achieve our objectives.To show you how we are situated at the Buller Fish Cultural Station, this is an aerial photo shows the Aquatic Wildlife Conservation Center, the South Fork Holston River, and the ponds 0.25 and 5.0 acres in size. acre 1998-20035 acre 1998, 2004Like I said earlier, an objective of the pond is to increase temperatures of the South Fork Holston River. Since most mussels are from the Clinch River, we want to make temperatures as close to that river as possible. The pond is brought online in late April through earlier November. As you see, by using the pond we can keep water temperatures are raised from 2 to 7C and average of 4.5 C from the SFHR almost matching those in the Clinch River temperature. For 6 years we used a flow-through system to hold adult mussels. Water flowed at a rate of 300 gal/min through four subraceways in 6 inches of gravel substrate. In 2004, we renovated the building by separating of the section in two to hold adult mussels. This section is not heated nor insulated but does has clear fiberglass panels to allow natural sunlight to enter. The building has 35 - 3 ft diameter insulated tanks each with an independent flow. In our facility, mussels are held in 3 ft diameter insulated tanks with approximately 6 inches of substrate. We are able to adjust habitat characteristics such as flow and substrate type to suit particular species. Also because the tanks are circular there is a greater opportunity for fertilization to occur. Finally species can be separated and isolated to prevent spread of diseases or genetics. To propagate mussels use several different systems. Our old standby is the AHAB system which is a multi-tank recirculating system that filters water using chemical, physical, and UV methods. We have three of these units in operation at our facility. Mussel production units are a flow through system used to hold infested fish. Since the system is flow through, there is minimal danger of the build up of toxins so fish can be fed during the infestation period. The tanks are designed to handle large fish species (such as freshwater drum) or high densities of smaller fish with a circular current that is beneficial for stream fishes that prefer to orient to flow. After juveniles drop off fish they pass through a mesh bottom and are caught in a 100 micron plankton net. Probably the most critical improvement to this system in 2005 will be using a 20 micron bag filter to keep to ostracods from accumilating in the plankton net.We filter river water for the flow through propagation system using a sand filter, UV filter and bag filters. Water is heated to 20C. Water storage is a 5500 gallon reservoir tank. After producing juveniles, they are transferred to a system called the juvenile mussel rearing unit to grow juvenile. Juvenile mussel are placed in these 5 L round containers that is supplied with water at 1 liter/minute. River water is filtered to 50 um to reduce predators (mainly flatworms) and high sediment loads while allowing microscopic algae to pass through. A bag is placed on the out flow to capture juvenile that may escape the container. Like the adult holding containers, the circular containers allow for having greater contact time for food.Beginning Now at the AWCC we are not so proud that we will not use someone elses good idea. Beginning this year, we use Chris Barnhart of Southwest Missouri State University propagation system and renamed it after his old graduate student. The recirculating system consists of two xx liter circular tanks, a xx hp pump, and biological filter. 100um filter socks are used to collect juveniles that drop off the fish. What all these states have in common is the 40,000 sq. mile Tennessee River drainage. Over 102 species, 1/3rd of the total taxa in the US occur in the drainage.Of course all this takes money. Initially funding to conduct these activities came from nongame tax check off and ESA Section 6 funds. We are shifting our funding source to use money from State Wildlife Grants and Natural Resource Damage and Assessment Settlement Grants. The settlement grants came from two chemical spills that occurred on the Clinch and Powell Rivers. The NRDA grants should take fund us for 12 years.To run the facility we have two fulltime mussel biologists and two part-time technicians. Support also comes from two regional nongame biologists whenever possible.Because the hatchery is planned for renovation in the next 5 years, we are planning to develop our facility so we can out of the way of construction in the next few years. We will be using a 5 acre space and using 2 acres for the building site and 3 acres to serve as a pond to heat water and provide plankton production.