Go Fishing Forum

Hey all,
I am a student studying American freshwater mussels. I live in Massachusetts where unfortunately there are not that many mussels to find. I am looking for people who come across the little (sometime not so little) buggers when outdoors. I would love anyone who finds the muskrat middens on the side of the rivers/lakes (or how ever they come across the mussels) to box up a bunch of paired fellas big and small and send them my way. I am only looking for dead/spent shells, not live ones. I collect and study and write about all the different species. I'm not concered about big or small, the more different ones the better. Anyone who would be able to help me with my studies by just picking up a bunch of the ones you find while fishing would be a HUGE help in my studies. I would certainly compensate you for your effort and of course pay for shipping too. The only requirements would be that you provide matching paired (not single) valves and that they are not totally broken (they don't have to be absolutely perfect with no chips at all, but the cleaner with their natural "skin" the better). I've been trying to make contacts with people across the country that naturally run into mussels while out fishing or hiking that might be able to just pick up shells they come across without it being a big hassle for them. I can't thank enough anyone who would consider assisting me with this project. You can contact me through this site or directly at kczaja@harvard.edu. Thank You!!!!!
-Kevin

Hi Kevin,

to the forum! I see mussles from time to time, but I don't get out to the water much this time of year. Maybe I can gather a few from the Potomac River sometime this spring/summer and get in touch with you at that time. Now that I re-read your post, I see that you want freshwater mussels. The Potomac is brackish at best and just downright saltwater the further south/east you go... Let me know if you still want some from there...

Good luck with your studies. Come back and visit us and tell us what you learned about mollusks!

Hello Allingeneral,
thanks for the warm welcome and the offer. I am primarily working on freshwater mussels with my studies but I do study mollusks in general. Brackish and marine species are of interest to me too. If you find any you can share, I would still be interested. There is one brackish mussel species called the hooked mussel, that I could definitely use. I posted some photos below. And I will certainly chime in with mussel discoveries.
-Thanks again, Kevin