Described as the most imperiled fauna in north america, freshwater mussels are experiencing precipitous declineswith extinction rates projected to be as high as 50 by the end of the century

The State South Dakota Game Fish & PK Wildlife Division was awarded a $142,461 Project Grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 6 under the State Wildlife Grants (CFDA 15.634) program. The grant supports a collaborative effort with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, South Dakota State University, and the University of South Dakota to expand the captive propagation of four additional freshwater mussel species of greatest conservation need in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming.

The project aims to conduct a mark-recapture study to evaluate the success of recent mussel reintroduction efforts, develop habitat suitability models, and utilize environmental DNA analysis to identify priority waterways for future mussel surveys, monitoring, and reintroduction activities. These efforts will help supplement the limited understanding of the distribution and status of freshwater mussels across the region and support the ongoing recovery of these imperiled species. The grant period of performance runs from January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2026.

Given their sedentary lifestyleand vulnerability to numerous threats including habitat alterations, pollution, and climate change, IT isunlikely that these filter feeders will persist in historic locations without human intervention. Captivepropagation has been instrumental in the conservation of at-risk mussel species allowing for their augmentation, reintroduction, and introduction. Nebraska, in collaboration with south dakota and wyoming, hopes to expand upontheir successful propagation efforts by rearing four additional mussel species of greatest conservation need attheir facility. These states will partner with the university of nebraska- lincoln to conduct a mark-recapturestudy to further evaluate the success of reintroductions in nebraska and wyoming which began in 2016 and 2020,respectively. Because the current distribution and status of freshwater mussels is poorly understood, IT isdifficult to identify potential source brood to maintain genetic diversity in the hatchery, locate waterwaysappropriate for reintroduction, or even assess the declines of historically common species. By incorporatinghabitat suitability modelling through a partnership with south dakota state university and working with theuniversity of south dakota to analyze environmental DNA (edna) which builds upon recent surveys from easternwyoming, we intend to identify priority waterways across the three states for future surveying, monitoring, andreintroduction efforts. These actions will further supplement our limited understanding of freshwater mussels andcontinue the upward trajectory in the recovery of these imperiled species.