Researchers from Lake Superior State University will be on the Paint River in Iron County this summer and the Sturgeon River in Dickinson County next summer surveying mussel populations as part of a collaborative research project with the Department of Natural Resources. The project is designed to determine which species of mussels are present and the habitats those freshwater shellfish prefer in the Menominee River system.

"There is limited information about mussels in general, and in the U.P. there's even less known about them," said DNR fisheries biologist Jessica Mistak of Marquette "If we can determine their habitat preferences, perhaps we can protect some of that habitat to allow those mussels to prosper, especially the rare species."

Mussels are among the most threatened and endangered species in Michigan. More than a third of the native species are imperiled. Though many of them are rarely seen, they are an important part of the ecosystem, serving as an important food source for both fish and wildlife.

"Their life cycles are fairly complicated, making them especially susceptible to environmental threats and development," Mistak said. "They're the canaries in the coal mine. They are great indicators of environmental health."

Kate Harriger of Gaylord and Jen Johnson of Iron Mountain are conducting the field surveys.

The reproductive cycle of many mussel species is fairly complex. After a female's eggs are fertilized she holds them in marsupial gills until the eggs grow into larvae (glochidia). The female mussel then creates a lure from her mantle, which looks like a fish or aquatic insect, to attract the appropriate host fish. When a fish tries to bite the lure, the female ejects her larvae, which attach to the gills of a preferred host fish. If they do not attach to a host, they will be unable to continue their life cycle and metamorphose into juveniles.

The project is funded as part of the hydroelectric dam re-licensing agreement between We Energies and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. A final report and database including locations and habitat use by freshwater mussels will be available by winter 2009-2010. This information can be used by managers to identify river areas in need of protection, guide restoration and mitigation plans, inform the public and promote public policy changes, and understand trends and predict impacts of changing watersheds on freshwater mussel populations.

Michigan Natural Features Inventory, and Inter-Fluve, Inc. are also participating in the survey.