The suwannee moccasinshell is a small freshwater mussel endemic to the suwannee river basin in florida and georgia

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has awarded a $512,822.89 Cooperative Agreement under the Endangered Species Recovery Implementation federal grant program (CFDA 15.657) to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute (FWRI). The funding will be used to establish a streamside mobile propagation unit within Oleno State Park to culture and grow out the endangered Suwannee moccasinshell, a freshwater mussel endemic to the Suwannee River basin in Florida and Georgia. This will support reintroduction of the species in the upper Santa Fe River and augmentation of populations in the lower Santa Fe River, with the goal of preventing the extinction of the Suwannee moccasinshell. The project will also employ a full-time biological scientist to assist with all aspects of the propagation efforts, and their work will have implications for recovery of other threatened or endangered freshwater mussel species in Florida, including the Ochlockonee moccasinshell.

Currently its range includes the mainstem suwannee river and the lower santa FE river in florida. Despite adequate survey effort in most of the upper santa FE subbasin IT most likely extirpated from these reaches as no live suwannee moccasinshell have been detected since 1996. A recovery plan outline and the most recent five year review for the species both stipulate propagation for reintroduction and augmentation as a required action to recover the suwannee moccasinshell. The projects primary objective is to use the management action of controlled propagation to reintroduce suwannee moccasinshell populations in the upper santa FE river and augment populations in the lower santa FE river to preclude species extinction. To do so FWC is requesting $512822.89 to establish a streamside mobile propagation unit within oleno state park for culturing and grow out operations and to support a fulltime biological scientist II to assist with all aspects of the propagation efforts. The mobile propagation unit and protocols developed for this project will have far reaching implications for other threatened or endangered freshwater mussel species across the state including the federally endangered ochlockonee moccasinshell (medionidus simpsonianus) a congener endemic to the adjacent ochlockonee river basin. A secondary task of the biological scientist position will be to support recovery implementation efforts for both species.