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Note: Session titles beginning with an asterisk (*) have student presenters.
AUTHORS: Monte A. McGregor; Adam C. Shepard; Travis Bailey; Andrew T. McDonald; Fritz E. Vorisek; and Julieann M. Jacobs, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources
ABSTRACT: North America hosts the most diverse freshwater mussel fauna on Earth, with approximately 300 species representing 36% of the total global mussel diversity. Kentucky has one of the most diverse mussel populations in North America, with 41 genera and 105 recognized species. In Kentucky, 12 mussels are presumed extinct, and 27 are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as Threatened or Endangered. Nine of the 27 are considered extirpated from the state. Kentucky also has 46 species on the list of Species of Greatest Conservation Need. As part of the initiative, we established mussel conservation units and ranked river systems based on scores to prioritize areas with greater conservation need. We set up long-term quantitative monitoring stations within the highest ranked areas (selected in previous qualitative surveys). We also developed species based conservation actions needed to restore declining populations. KDFWR established the Center for Mollusk Conservation in 2002 to culture and propagate rare species. We also developed protocols to determine stockable sizes, appropriate stocking densities, and in situ tests for sites with cultured juveniles. In the Green River, which historically supported 74 species, we established 10 monitoring sites, some within permanently protected areas, where augmentation of cultured juveniles could be released and have long-term protection. We assessed the mussel population at multiple sites; one mussel bed in the Green River was examined in 2005, 2010, and 2016. At this site, we collected 33 species with maximum densities/m2 ranging from 30 to 53/m2, with trends showing increased numbers and the presence of stocked mussels.
Wednesday November 1, 2017 9:20am - 9:40am EDT
Breathitt