>As much as I complain about rules and regulations I do aknowledge that
>collection of mussels for the asian pearl industry is a serious problem
>for some populations. Still I wonder if there might not be a few species
>that are not imperiled that could be candidates for aquaculture. If
>commercial mass production were possible- it could help satisfy the
>demand in a sustainable manner that would reduce pressure for poaching.
Virginia Tech and the VA Dept. of Game and Inland Fisheries are currently
working to propagate endangered species of mussels in captivity for
reintroduction purposes. I have seen their operation at Buller Fish
Hatchery near Marion. They don't raise many fish now, but they do have neat
setup for the mussels.
Judging from what I have seen there, it would be very difficult to make
captive mussel propagation economically viable at present.
Ranger Bob
rangerbob_at_optidynamic.com
Kingsport, TN
"The power of humans to degrade the natural world is awesome; the
capability to reconstitute it later is mythical."
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