The following article was kindly written by Woodlore Field Staff member Keith Whitehead:
On my way home from a course, I was walking a stretch which takes in part of the Basingstoke canal’s towpath. One stretch, between two locks, had been drained for maintenance and the muddy bed was covered in what looked like mussels. I decided to take a closer look and removed my pack so that I could climb down the bank.
[caption id="attachment_630" align="alignleft" width="270" caption="One of the mussel shells found by Keith"]
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I found tens of empty freshwater mussel shells, some of which were of a considerable size. All of them had been scavenged by the time that I found them, but I was still amazed by the richness of the resource that I had been completely unaware of beforehand.
Whether eating a filter-feeding shellfish from a stretch of water such as the canal would be a wise thing or not, is another matter. I’m just glad that I know that they’re there and that my eyes have been opened a little further.
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I found tens of empty freshwater mussel shells, some of which were of a considerable size. All of them had been scavenged by the time that I found them, but I was still amazed by the richness of the resource that I had been completely unaware of beforehand.
Whether eating a filter-feeding shellfish from a stretch of water such as the canal would be a wise thing or not, is another matter. I’m just glad that I know that they’re there and that my eyes have been opened a little further.
14 comments
just found freshwater mussels on a drained strech of huddersfield narrow canal between marsden and slaithwaite .all shells visible were opened and empty apart from the shell ligament(muscle) so i presume they had been predated after the water was lowered
Fresh water mussels found in England are all illigal to pick according to my sources. And if a trout take on muddy flavour imagine what a filter feeder wouls taste like.
My son and I found some freshwater mussels just by the bridge through Hereford on the River Wye, we collected some and cooked them up later that day. I was fine but my son had severe nausea through the night and was very ill. Be warned.
Some years ago, I contibuted to the filming of an episode of ‘Tracks’ with Ray on the Montgomery Canal, during which Ray found fresh water mussels (after all of 5 mins. looking!) also fresh water prawns in a lock overspill weir and freshwater sponges, a species I never even knew existed! An educational 2 days, to say the least!
Hi, I keep forgetting there are 2 river stours in the uk,
Im talking about the one in suffolk/essex – it runs through a lot of rich agricultural land and gets algal blooms caused by the nitrogen from all that fertiliser its like pea soup in the summer!
Not sure id swim in one that flowed through industrial areas, but like you say, rivers do seem to be getting better generally and despite mink, pollution etc. otters etc seem to be doing well which is nice.
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