Talking Mussels with Research Scientist Todd Morris and OSFN on June 11
Todd Morris, PhD, Research Scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada, will present on freshwater mussels and conservation translocation after the Owen Sound Field Naturalists's AGM.
SUBMITTED
The next presentation by the Owen Sound Field Naturalists (OSFN) features Todd Morris, PhD, a prominent federal Research Scientist with Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Morris’s talk here ten years ago was so enthusiastically received that I invited him to return this year, with ‘A Brief Introduction to Mussels of the World’ plus his main topic: ‘Is conservation translocation a path forward to recover Canada’s endangered freshwater mussels? The story of Kidneyshell (Ptychobranchus fasciolaris) in the Thames River, Ontario.’
Freshwater mussels are among the most endangered animals in the world. Their extended lifespan, sedentary nature and unique life history, requiring a period of parasitism on a vertebrate host, make them particularly vulnerable to habitat alteration through urban and agricultural development, plus overharvest for pearls and buttons, and the effects of invasive species.
Nearly 40% of all Canadian species have been assessed as at-risk by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) and most of those have experienced some local extirpations. Conservation translocation to re-establish extirpated populations is one approach being used in Ontario to help stabilize and recover aquatic species at risk.
Kidneyshell were last recorded alive in the Thames River over two decades ago but efforts are now underway to re-establish this population through hatchery propagation with nearby Sydenham river stock. If successful, this approach will help to ensure the long term survival of the species in Canada.
This event will take place at 7:00 p.m. just after the 6:15 p.m. OSFN Annual General Meeting, on Thursday, June 11, at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre.
Everyone is Welcome! Admission is by donation (free for OSFN Members) and doors will open by 6:00 p.m.
In addition here is a Zoom link in order to register, in advance, for the Mussels presentation only.
Submitted by John Dickson for Owen Sound Field Naturalists
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