Evaluating the Success of a Relocated Mussel Community in the Lower Sulphur River, Texas

Conservation efforts to preserve freshwater mussel communities have become more common as these animals become increasingly threatened by their changing habitats. As humans continue to shape and change the world around them, aquatic species living in modified and disturbed water systems can be negatively impacted leading to decline of the ecosystem. During disturbance events involving a stream, river, or pond, the relocation of affected mussel beds is becoming more widespread. Although there are few of these studies, many of those that have been conducted are seen as successful in relocating and conserving their mussel communities. This study focuses on detection probability, survival, and the overall success of relocating a mussel community impacted by a dewatering event to repair the Wright Patman Dam on the Sulphur River of Texas. We collected mussels along the bank following a receding water line and within the dewatered basin over a three-day period. Collected mussels were transported downstream to a predetermined relocation site. At the relocation site, all mussels were identified to species and a representative number of each species were measured and tagged. Along with the initial sampling during the dewatering event, two additional sampling events were conducted from September 2023 to August 2024 to assess the success of the relocation efforts using a mark-recapture approach. The results, although underestimated, suggest that the relocated community are established and growing.