In science, as in life, remarkable achievements are rarely reached alone. Over the past few months, the San Antonio River Authority (River Authority) has been proudly showcasing the success of our first-in-Texas Freshwater Mussel Reintroduction Project. While the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has been mentioned in these efforts, their vital partnership deserves even greater recognition. Today, we invite you to read along as we celebrate this invaluable collaboration!
Bailey Gaines from USFWS holding two Flathead Catfish, one of the host fish for the freshwater mussel making efforts.
From the very beginning, the River Authority’s freshwater mussel journey has involved the USFWS. In 2014, when the River Authority began conducting basin-wide mussel surveys, USFWS staff helped our agency to develop survey techniques and evaluate the possibility of listing one of the San Antonio River’s native mussels on the Endangered Species List—the USFWS ultimately decided not to designate that species as endangered. During that evaluation phase, the River Authority began discussing the possibility of reintroducing mussels and assessing problems we might face in doing so. The biggest barriers identified were in the process of producing young mussels. Once again, we were able to turn to the USFWS.
Austin Davis (River Authority. left) and Bailey Gaines (USFWS, right) attaching Yellow Sandshell larvae to a Spotted Gar’s gills.
You may have come across the phrase standing on the shoulders of giants; it expresses the idea that we can only accomplish the acts of today by building on the work of those that came before us, a phrase made popular by Sir Isaac Newtown (the guy who first described gravity thanks to the apple falling on his head!). In the world of mussel propagation—producing young mussels with help from natural processes—the USFWS is one such giant. The River Authority decided to rely on this expertise for our efforts and in 2019, after nearly two years of research with the San Marcos Aquatic Resource Center — yet another USFWS facility—we entered into an agreement with the Inks Lake National Fish Hatchery (Inks) in Burnet, Texas.
Freshwater Mussel grow out system at USFWS Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery.
Since singing the contract in 2019, the dedicated team at Inks has run tests to identify toxins and suitable host fish, tested out countless ways to grow baby mussels into river-ready creatures, and provided feedback for the River Authority’s mussel program. The Inks crew’s expertise and scientific curiosity, combined with the institutional knowledge from across the country, has made the USFWS the perfect partner. While our current contract with the USFWS extends until September 2026, this partnership is far from over. As the River Authority and the USFWS continue to successfully implement the first freshwater mussel reintroduction in the state of Texas, we hope to keep lifting people onto our shoulders to advance scientific innovations and keep creeks and rivers safe, clean and enjoyable for generations to come.
Amy Lueders, Regional Director, Southwest Region for the USFWS, speaks at the River Authority’s mussel release media day in May 2024.
