Subadult Villosa constricta raised at WSSNFH and tagged for release. Photo by Rachel Mair, USFWS.

On November 3, 2008, by filtered moonlight, starlight, car light, and flashlight, biologists with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) released over 300 sub-adult  notched rainbow mussels in Johns Creek, Craig County, Virginia. The mussels were produced by WSSNFH in 2007 and then transferred to Harrison Lake NFH to test the hatchery's ability to grow freshwater mussels. This was the second release of propagated mussels to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. In June 2008, WSSNFH released 35 sub-adult notched rainbow mussels in John's Creek, the first ever release of propagated mussels to the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Restoring the filtration capacity of native mussel beds to the rivers and streams of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is part of an effort to clean up the water before it ever reaches the Bay. All mussels were grown to at least 16 mm in length and tagged prior to release to allow biologists to return to the release site and monitor survival.