We’re Raising Hundreds of Baby Darters to Help Endangered Mussels!

For the past two years, the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute has been partnering with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to raise Tangerine Darters for use in a program to propagate endangered freshwater mussels. Being mostly immobile, mussels can’t populate new areas without assistance, which is why they have developed elaborate luring mechanisms to attract fish to serve as hosts for their offspring. Once close enough, the mussels release their larvae, which harmlessly attach to the fish’s gills. Hitching a ride while they develop, the larval mussels eventually dislodge, floating down to create beds in new locations farther up or downstream. At the Cumberland River Aquatic Center, Tangerine Darters raised by the Aquarium are acting as hosts for larval Crackling Pearlymussels. This fascinating project is getting plenty of assistance with these Aquarium-raised foster-fish, more than 400 of which are currently being cared for at our freshwater field station until they’re large enough to be sent to TWRA.