Dan Kelner, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Roger Gordon, Genoa National Fish Hatchery, holding a tray of juvenile Higgins eye pearlymussels propagated in the Upper Mississippi River in 2003. - FWS photo by Gary Wege, Twin Cities ES Field Office

Since 2000, a variety of conservation measures have been implemented for the federally endangered Higgins eye (Lampsilis higginsii) and winged mapleleaf (Quadrula fragosa) by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with assistance from the interagency Mussel Coordination Team. 

Conservation activities were required by a Biological Opinion for continued operation and maintenance of the federal 9-Foot Channel Project on the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS). 

Major accomplishments include:  1) identifying host fish for winged mapleleaf; 2) hatchery and cage propagation of Higgins eye and winged mapleleaf; 3) stocking adult, subadult, and juvenile Higgins eye into the UMR and tributaries to establish five new and viable populations; 4) collecting sexually mature Higgins eye at age 4 that were stocked as subadults; 5) collecting subadult Higgins eye at population establishment sites where infested fish were released; 6) developing marking techniques for stocked subadults; 7) testing a floating cage system; 8) developing a Geographic Information System mussel database and Internet web site; 9) determining thermal requirements for transformation of Higgins eye and winged mapleleaf glochidia; and 10) implementing conservation activities for other native mussels. 

The report is available online at the St. Paul District Corps of Engineers website http://www.mvp.usace.army.mil/.  Click on the Environment Tab, then on the left side scroll down to "Endangered Species - Conservation of native Mussels".  Then on the right side under "Additional Information", click on "Mussel Coordination Satatus Report".