Healthy Shellfish = Healthy Estuaries: Ecosystem-Based Restoration of Freshwater and Marine Bivalves Danielle Kreeger Partnership for the DE Estuary Restore America s Estuaries November 16, 2010
>60 Species of Bivalves in the Delaware Estuary Watershed 11 Other Species of Freshwater Unionid Mussels Elliptio complanata Corbicula fluminea Rangia cuneata Mya arenaria Geukensia demissa Mytilus edulis Ensis directus Crassostrea virginica DRBC Mercenaria mercenaria
Nature s Benefits Bivalve Shellfish are Ecosystem Engineers DK 6/23/10 Mussel Beds CTUIR Freshwater Mussel Project Oyster Reefs Six Reasons Why We Care Kreeger
1. Biodiversity Species Loss: Intrinsic Losses Niches Filled Human Health
2. Biomass (Populations) Biomass Loss: EcoServices Fish & Wildlife Human Health CTUIR Freshwater Mussel Project
Example Ecological Services of Bivalves 1. Structure Habitat Complexity Bind Bottom Stabilize Shorelines Bottom Turbulence 2. Function Suspended Particulates Particulate N, P Light Sediment Enrichment Dissolved Nutrients
Biofiltration Potential Start No mussels 8 adult mussels Slide from Dick Neves, VA Tech
Biofiltration Potential Later No mussels 8 adult mussels Slide from Dick Neves, VA Tech
3. Bioindicator Value International Mussel Watch Freshwater Caging Studies Contaminant and Site-Specific Testing, Monitoring Tributary and Regional Bioassessment Deployed Cages
4. Commercial Value Shellfisheries Jewelry Pearl Shell Industry
5. Cultural-Historical Native American Uses Waterman Lifestyle Ecotourism
6. Human Health Pathogen Removal - filter and digest harmful bacteria and protists Model Organisms - for medical sciences (e.g. cancer research) TMDL applications - can reassembled bivalve communities help managers address TMDL s?
Nature s Benefits (Natural Capital) Livelihoods Lives Health Livelihoods Health
Brandywine River, PA Susquehanna Elliptio complanata Delaware Estuary Marshes Geukensia demissa Delaware Bay Oysters Crassostrea virginica
Reef Oysters 35 30 Millions of Pounds 25 20 15 10 5 Landings Data Crassostrea virginica 0 1860 1880 1900 1920 1940 1960 1980 2000 Year Rutgers Data (Powell, 2003)
Oysters on Seed Bed Reefs 2.0 Billion Crassostrea (Powell, 2003 data) Mean size = 0.87 g dry tissue weight (DK data) Clearance Rate = 6.5 L h-1 g-1(newell et al 2005) = 11.2 Billion Liters per Hour
Freshwater Mussels >75% imperiled
Mussel Populations are Also Depressed
Freshwater Mussels in Watershed (one species) Elliptio complanata 4.3 Billion Elliptio (DK estimate) 2.9 Million Kilos Dry Tissue Weight (DK) = 9.8 Billion Liters per Hour
Ribbed Mussels in Salt Marshes
Ribbed Mussels in Salt Marshes Geukensia demissa 208,000 per hectare on average 10.5 Billion Geukensia Clearance Rate = 5.1 L h-1 g-1 (DK data) 11.7 Million Kilos Dry Tissue Weight (DK) = 59.0 Billion Liters per Hour
Population-level Water Processing Water Processing Billions of Liters per Hour Unit Population BiomassAbundance Summer Clearance Rate (L/h/g) Millions Bio-filtration 59.0 Billion L/h Freshwater Mussel Marsh Mussel Oyster
Bivalve Projections FW Mussels Shifting Species Ranges, But No Dispersal Patchy, Impaired Rare Extirpated Elliptio complanata Strophitus undulatus Alasmidonta heterodon State Conservation Status Scientific Name Scientific Name DE NJ PA ALASMIDONTA HETERODON DWARF WEDGEMUSSEL Endangered Endangered Critically Imperiled ALASMIDONTA UNDULATA TRIANGLE FLOATER Extirpated? Threatened Vulnerable ALASMIDONTA VARICOSA BROOK FLOATER Endangered Endangered Imperiled ANODONTA IMPLICATA ALEWIFE FLOATER Extremely Rare no data Extirpated? ELLIPTIO COMPLANATA EASTERN ELLIPTIO common common Secure LAMPSILIS CARIOSA YELLOW LAMPMUSSEL Endangered Threatened Vulnerable LAMPSILIS RADIATA EASTERN LAMPMUSSEL Endangered Threatened Imperiled LASMIGONA SUBVIRIDIS GREEN FLOATER no data Endangered Imperiled LEPTODEA OCHRACEA TIDEWATER MUCKET Endangered Threatened Extirpated? LIGUMIA NASUTA EASTERN PONDMUSSEL Endangered Threatened Critically Imperiled MARGARITIFERA MARGARITIFERA EASTERN PEARLSHELL no data no data Imperiled PYGANODON CATARACTA EASTERN FLOATER no data no data Vulnerable STROPHITUS UNDULATUS SQUAWFOOT Extremely Rare Species of Concern Apparently Secure
Bivalve Projections Oysters Can they be maintained until they might see better conditions? Number per Bushel 1000 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 No Help 1758 Longer With Help Growing Season 2 Recruitment Events Intertidal Niche Expansion? Point of No Return 0 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 77 79 81 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 1 3 5 7 Year Oyster Spat Mean Oyster Mean Spat Today 2030 2060 Historical data from Rutgers Haskin Shellfish Laboratory
Bivalve Projections Ribbed Mussels Losing Marsh Habitat >25% Loss of Tidal Marsh by 2100
What If We Don t Take Action? Loss of Services; e.g. 4 billion mussels filter 30 billion cubic meters of water per year = 758 million kg TSS annually All bivalves in the Delaware Estuary watershed filter >100 billion liters of water per hour = 2500 times the volume of fw entering the tidal estuary CTUIR Freshwater Mussel Project Kreeger & Cole Estimates, 2010 Photo: Dick Neves, VA Tech
Options for Making Shellfish More Resilient Shellplanting for Oysters Propagate Mussels Monitoring & Research Living Shorelines Water Quality & Flow Management Fish Passage Restoration Riparian Restoration
Oyster Shellplanting Success
May June September 2010 Mussel-Based Living Shorelines Soft Armoring With Natural Communities
Freshwater Mussel Recovery Program Cheyney/PDE Hatchery
Fish Infestation
Larval Transformation Into Juveniles
Goal: Propagation and Reintroduction Juvenile Mussels at VA Tech Photos, R. Neves, VA Tech
Freshwater Mussel Recovery Program Goals Based on Ecosystem Services Millions of Liters Processed 2,000 1,800 1,600 1,400 1,200 1,000 800 600 400 200 0 Not including progeny 1 2 4 6 8 10 15 30 Years After Planting
System Linkages? 11 Other Species of Freshwater Unionid Mussels Corbicula fluminea Elliptio complanata Rangia cuneata Mya arenaria Geukensia demissa Mytilus edulis Ensis directus Crassostrea virginica Mercenaria DRBC mercenaria
Desired Watershed Condition: A diverse and robust assemblage of native bivalves living in abundance in all available tidal and non-tidal ecological niches and providing maximum possible natural benefits. DRBC
Freshwater and marsh mussels provide just as many goods and services as oyster. Bivalve Natural Capital Oysters Marsh Mussels FW Mussels Millennium Ecosystem Specific Services/Values Relative Importance Scores New Assessment technologies Categories exist for restoring and enhancing populations and habitat of all bivalve species. Provisioning: Food & Fiber Regulating Supporting Dockside Product Shoreline & Bottom Protection Shoreline Stabilization The restoration of bivalves in tidal and non-tidal systems are Structural Habitat beneficial to each other. Biodiversity: Imperiled Species Bivalves represent excellent drivers for Waterman Lifestyle, ecosystem-based management, conservation Ecotourism and restoration. Cultural/ Spiritual/ Historical/ Human Well Being Bio-filtration Biogeochemistry Prey Native American Watershed Indicator Bio-Assessment Conclusions
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