Native Freshwater
Mussel Monitoring

Our native freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of animals on the continent. The purpose of the MUSSELZ project was to aid recovery actions for the eastern pondmussel and other SARA-listed freshwater mussels through surveys and monitoring and public communication to raise awareness. The project confirmed the continued presence of eastern pondmussel in Lyn Creek near the Thousand Islands. The innovative use of environmental DNA to monitor mussel populations will provide more information about the distribution of native freshwater mussels in Upper St. Lawrence River tributaries and contribute to efforts to improve survey methods for these hard to detect species.