​Federal regulators designated two U.S. freshwater mussels as threatened on Wednesday, a further sign of trouble for native mollusks that help cleanse waters by filtering out pollutants as they feed. Fish and Wildlife Service said it was granting protection to longsolid and round hickorynut mussels, which have declined in many Eastern and Midwestern streams. “A lot of little things have added up.”Flourishing mussel populations signal healthy streams, he said. The newly designated threatened species have much wider ranges than many struggling mussels, Peeples said. Threatened species are considered likely to become in danger of extinction within much or all of their range.

Source: Fox News March 09, 2023 18:20 UTC