Mussel mortality Clinch River

A pile of recently dead freshwater mussels collected by biologists from the Clinch River at Sycamore Island, Virginia. Biologists first noticed significant mussel mortality on the Clinch River in 2016 on all major mussel shoals from Horton Ford through Swan Island. Pleasantshell started dying at Sycamore Islands in 2018. Shoals are wade-able riffle and run stream habitat with sand or gravel.