OutdoorNebraska

12 Exotic species It is now well-known that the exotic Zebra mussel has had some serious impacts on mussels in the upper Midwest. They do this by attaching directly to the mussel's shell and restricting the opening and closing of the shell. On the other hand, the Asian clam seems to have had minimal impact on our native mussels (though they have serious impacts on things like power plants). NEBRASKA'S FRESHWATER MUSSEL FAUNA The shell of 30 species of freshwater mussels have been collected from within the boundaries of the state of Nebraska. Of these, five species were always incredibly rare and are extirpated or nearly so (Mucket, Rock pocket-book, Hickorynut, Bleufer, Creek heelsplitter). That leaves 25 species and of these, four more may be extirpated because, while live or fresh specimens may have been found in recent years, we cannot find live ones now (Higgins eye, Scaleshell, Fatmucket, Pistolgrip). That brings us to 21 species. Of these, four species were historically common but are now believed to be extirpated (Wabash pigtoe, Black sandshell, Pondmussel, Fawnsfoot). That drops us to 17 species. Of these, five once-common species can now be found alive in only one or two streams (Threeridge, Plain pocketbook, Yellow sandshell, Pimpleback, Creeper). That leaves us with 12 (out of 30) species that may still be doing ok. Can You Eat Them? This is a question that I get at least once a year. Since I have never eaten one and have no intention of ever doing so, I cannot answer that question directly. The short answer is "Yes, but. . . ." and I always ask the party to call me back if they do try them to give me a report on how they were. No one has ever called back. The first thought that I have is "Why would you want to?" Here is an animal that is living in waterbodies that often have high levels of pesticides and livestock waste. Many fresh-water mussels are long-lived, slow growing and feed at the bottom of the food chain so they have a long time to accumulate toxins in their tissues. But, I have talked with people that have cooked and eaten freshwater mussels. Generally, their comments are that they have no flavor and are really, really chewy. There is one interesting and entertaining historical account that summarizes what I have heard. The

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