SRBC Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region Freshwater Mussel Partnership

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Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region Freshwater Mussel Partnership

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region Freshwater Mussel Partnership is a voluntary affiliation of stakeholders drawn by our interest in freshwater mussels to:

Advance and promote Conservation & Restoration; and,
Evaluate Water Quality best management practices (BMPs) to lessen excess nutrients and sediment in tributaries to the Bay.

Interest in freshwater mussels throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed is growing and for good reasons, such as:

Freshwater mussels are among North America’s and the Bay Region’s most endangered group of organisms
Freshwater mussels have unique life strategies linked to individual fish species
Much like benthic macroinvertebrates, freshwater mussels are indicators of existing water quality conditions in a stream
As they feed, freshwater mussels transfer suspended matter from the water column to the stream bed
Freshwater mussels are ecosystem engineers, capable of modifying aquatic habitat to make conditions more suitable for themselves and other organisms

Freshwater mussels in a Pennsylvania stream that is a tributary to the Susquehanna River Mussel shell

Eastern Elliptio, Rainbow, and Yellow Lampmussel

News & Announcements

Video: Partnership members survey mussels in Lower Susquehanna this summer
September 18, 2023

A Professor’s Quest for Clean Water
May 30, 2023

Streams Benefit From Planting Trees and Mussels
May 1, 2022

Meetings & Events Calendar

Coming Soon

Get Involved!

Connect with the Partnership

Benefits include: join our mailing list and stay informed about Partnership initiatives, support an Action Team, meet and network with colleagues, attend our annual Symposium

About Us

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Region Freshwater Mussel Partnership evolved mainly from the Chesapeake Bay Program’s Science & Technical Advisory Committee workshop (March 5-6, 2020): Incorporating Freshwater Mussels into the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Efforts and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation and state of Maryland’s workshop (April 13, 2022): Broaden and Enhance Regional Freshwater Mussel Partnerships in the Chesapeake Bay.

In 2023, staff from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission transitioned to the role of coordinators for the Regional Freshwater Mussel Partnership. As coordinators, SRBC staff: facilitate communication among the Partnership members, Action Teams, and Steering Committees and with pertinent elements of the Chesapeake Bay Program; schedule Partnership Steering Committee meetings; coordinate an Annual Symposium; and manage resources and information for this web page.