A New Barge Is Platform For A New Era of Mussels Research and Restoration – Group Plans Propagation of 1,200 Mussels on June 16
Washington, DC – June 16 – Potomac Riverkeeper Network (PRKN) is renovating a barge at National Harbor, Maryland to provide a long-term home for a nursery and research to restore the mussels population on the Potomac River, PRKN President Betsy Nicholas announced today.
Nicholas said, “In 2019, we started our 50 Million Mussels project to restore and revitalize the population of mussels – they have an incredible ability to filter pollutants and sediments at the rate of 10 gallons per day per mussel. Originally, we had a small nursery at the National Harbor Marina, thanks to the generosity of the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Peterson Family Foundation. This science barge will be a platform for restoration and innovation and will accelerate our ability to reach our goal of 50 million mussels.”
The science barge is equipped with two floating upwellers, which house the mussels in the river throughout the year. These upwellers provide the space and infrastructure to enable large-scale mussel propagation and to expand capacity to raise mussels at significantly higher volumes. In addition, PRKN expects to build on current partnerships with Virginia Tech and Georgetown University for future scientific studies on water quality, habitat resilience, and ecosystem services.
With National Harbor as the project center, PRKN will be able to host public education programs, community events, and funder demonstrations and enable our project at National Harbor to become the hub and model for national mussel restoration.
Evan Quinter, PRKN Staff Scientist, described the importance of the barge to the mussel project and especially to the release of mussels today. He said, “These mussels are the first lucky bivalves in a long line of future mussels to grow and thrive in the PRKN upwellers. Mussels not only grow months faster in rivers than hatcheries, but their water quality filtering abilities will begin to pull nutrients and pollutants out of the Potomac River.”
Nicholas concluded, “We could not be more excited about this development. Mussel restoration means so much for the health of the river and thus for better water quality and access for all our friends and neighbors – in fact, for all six million of us who rely on the Potomac.”
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About Potomac Riverkeeper Network
Potomac Riverkeeper Network is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with three regional Waterkeeper branches: Potomac Riverkeeper, Upper Potomac Riverkeeper, and Shenandoah Riverkeeper. PRKN’s mission is to protect the right to clean water for all communities and all those who live in and rely upon the Potomac and Shenandoah watersheds by stopping pollution, making drinking water safe, protecting healthy river habitats, and enhancing use and enjoyment for all.
For more information, visit our website.
