Gig: Rebuilding Native Mussel Populations

About Catawba Riverkeeper

Catawba Riverkeeper is an independent non-profit organization with the mission to preserve, protect, and restore the waters of the Catawba-Wateree River basin for all through education, advocacy, and engagement. Our vision is a river that can sustain plentiful, clean water for generations to come. Our 5,600 square mile river basin includes over 8,900 miles of waterways across 26 counties in North and South Carolina. We provide accurate, science-based information about our region’s water source and the issues affecting it.

The Project
Rebuilding Native Mussel Populations in the Upper Catawba Watershed with the Eastern Creekshell Mussel is a program created in 2026 to begin to focus on key species for restoration and repopulation. This species was chosen because it is accessible, native, resilient to relocation, and not protected. This project proposes releasing the Eastern Creekshell mussel to augment current populations and reestablish them in areas they were once present. By releasing native mussels, we can support populations of native species that could make meaningful gains in water quality, wildlife habitat, and nutrient cycling. The Eastern Creekshell was selected due to its properties of fairly common host fishes (Lepomis spp.: sunfishes/bluegills) and its ability to tolerate a wide array of conditions, making it an ideal candidate. While it has experienced declines, it is not a state or federal listed endangered or threatened species significantly reducing barriers to obtaining and releasing them into surface waters. The mussel can filter 8-15 gallons of water a day while removing bacteria. A healthy bed of 1,000 adult mussels can filter 2.8 million gallons a year. The intern will support the development of research framework including hypothesis, timeline, study variables, and research tactics to study the potential impacts of releasing Eastern Creekshell Mussels in areas of the watershed where they are present or used to be present that could provide positive ecological outcomes in 5 years or longer. The intern will be provided guidance and resources from Northern Basin Director Grant Buckner and Executive Director Dr. Mo Drinkard.

Learning Experience
The student will not only get hands on experience with a current environmental conservation initiative in the region where they attend school, but also insight into how a small independent non-profit functions in the environmental conservation industry with a footprint of 26-counties spanning two states in North and South Carolina. Students will gain specific experience in evaluating rare aquatic species' current distributions and work to identify suitable habitats for future stockings. Students will be exposed to a variety of stakeholders from the NC Wildlife Resources Commission and other stakeholders including university partners.

Outcomes
Using GIS and other tools students will help develop a restoration plan for selected suitable sites for introduction and coordinate planning for the short- and long-term monitoring to evaluate the success of the project.