Restoring Mississippi River's Mussel Mass

The Higgins eye pearly mussel, once plentiful along the muddy bottom of the Mississippi River, was nearly wiped out in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by a booming demand for buttons and pearls. University of Iowa engineer Tatsuaki Nakato worked with state and federal officials to release some 5,000 of the mollusks into the river near the UI Lucille A. Carver Mississippi Riverside Environmental Research Station at Fairport, Iowa. The release aims to bolster the small, native population of freshwater mussels, thereby enhancing the river basin's natural biodiversity and health.

Photos by Tim Schoon.