Once numbering in the billions across the Tennessee River watershed, mussel populations have sharply declined over the past century due to pollution, habitat loss and industrial activity, according to Dr. Michael McKinney, professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences at the University of Tennessee.
“There used to be billions of mussels in the Tennessee watershed,” McKinney said. “So we’ve gone from billions to probably millions.”
Dr. McKinney said freshwater mussels are one of the most endangered group of animals in the southeastern United States, adding their decline is driven by multiple factors, including water contamination and their complex reproductive cycle, which depends on host fish species…