Pearl mussel partners wanted

Pearl mussel partners wanted

Pollution has hit the pearl mussel

Radical plans to save the freshwater pearl mussel from extinction are being discussed by experts.

The plans by the Environment Agency and English Nature could ensure the future of a small population of pearl mussels in the River Torridge in north Devon.

The shellfish have been victims of pearl fishing, which is now illegal. They have also been hit by pollution and the decline of salmon and trout, which provide hosts for mussel larvae.

In English and Welsh rivers, the mussels have become so scattered that few stand any chance of breeding.

Rare species

A conference in Cheshire will discuss a plan to relocate isolated mussels - which can live more than 100 years - bringing males and females together in an effort to kick start their love lives.

Lyn Jenkins of the Environment Agency, said that the plans could offer hope to the pearl mussels of the Torridge.

She said: "This is a rare species which is under threat around the world, not just here. To lose it would be a tragedy.

"Some of the mussels in the Torridge could well have been there since before the sinking of the Titanic."

Pearls from freshwater mussels are included in the Scottish crown jewels and are said to have inspired Julius Caesar to invade Britain in 55BC.