An extremely rare Alabama mussel just landed on the national endangered species list, earning important protections for the only two creeks in the world where it is found, both in northeast Alabama.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Tuesday that it is listing the Canoe Creek clubshell as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the culmination of years of lobbying by environmental groups for protections for the very rare mollusk.
“Big Canoe Creek is already home to ten federally listed aquatic species, and a focal point for aquatic habitat restoration and conservation,” Leopoldo Miranda-Castro, regional director for the Fish and Wildlife Service said in a news release. “Endangered Species Act protections for the Canoe Creek clubshell will inspire diverse partnerships that will not only protect a freshwater mussel on the verge of extinction, but a watershed that supports local communities and countless other wildlife.”
The Canoe Creek clubshell is only known to exist in Big Canoe Creek and Little Canoe Creek, two Coosa River tributaries that run through St. Clair and Etowah counties, both just east of Birmingham.
The Service said the mussels are considered an indicator species, because they are highly sensitive to pollution, and that the mussels serve valuable roles in cleaning and filtering the water as they feed.
“Big Canoe Creek is an incredibly unique tributary to the Coosa River that is loved by families who enjoy paddling, fishing, and swimming in its waters,” Coosa Riverkeeper Justinn Overton said via email. “Coosa Riverkeeper is thrilled to see the Canoe Creek clubshell is finally getting the protection it deserves given its important role in the ecosystem.”
According to environmental group the Center for Biological Diversity, the mussel was first described in 2006, when scientists realized it differed from other similar species it had been grouped with historically.
The Fish and Wildlife Service said that a survey conducted in 2017 and 2018 found only 25 of the now-endangered mussels, and that all were aging adults, with no signs of recent successful reproduction. Adult mussels can live up to 35 years.
The Center, along with Alabama Rivers Alliance and others, first petitioned the Fish and Wildlife Service for protection of the mussel in 2010.
“North America has already lost 35 species of freshwater mussels to extinction, so it’s fantastic that the Canoe Creek clubshell at long last has Endangered Species Act protection,” Tierra Curry, a senior scientist at the Center, said in a news release. “With a recovery plan and captive restoration program, we can make sure this special mussel doesn’t join the dozens of species the Coosa River has already lost forever.”
The Center said the Canoe Creek clubshell is about 3.5 inches long, with a dark-yellow to brown outer shell, an iridescent mother-of-pearl white inner shell, and a salmon-orange soft body.
The mussel reproduces by releasing larvae that look like food for minnows, such as the Alabama shiner, tricolor shiner and striped shiner. But when fish eat them, the larvae attach onto the fish’s gills until they mature and drop onto the creek bottom to start their own life cycles.
The Wildlife Service designated 36.3 miles of the two creeks as critical habit for the clubshell, implementing protections for those stretches of water.
The Service says that the critical habitat designation will require federal agencies to take special precautions when working or issuing permits in those areas. The Service also says the designation will have no impact on private landowners taking actions on their land that do not require federal funding or permits.
Overton, with Coosa Riverkeeper, said the mussel requires clean, flowing water to survive and that poor water quality and habitat loss are among the biggest threats to the mussel.
“Although [the listing] is a step forward, it is vital that excess sedimentation from development and water quality issues continue to be addressed to ensure the creek and species like the Canoe Creek clubshell have the best chance at not only surviving, but thriving,” Overton said.
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