Biologists at our Marion State Fish Hatchery focus on captive propagation and holding of freshwater mussels and other aquatic species in an effort to bolster wild populations. In this video, Conservation Aquaculture Coordinator Rachael Hoch gives you a tour of the Marion Hatchery and a look at some of North Carolina's freshwater mussel species. | NC Wildlife Resources Commission

The Freshwater Mussel Conservation and Research Center is a converted company clubhouse on land now owned by the City of Columbus. The interior was gutted and remodeled for our use in 2001. Since it is on the Scioto River, we use that water for our mussel holding aquariums. We house 39 species of mussels, as well as hundreds of Ohio native fish and snails. One of our mussels, the sheepnose, is a federally endangered species. The idea for the mussel facility came about in 1996, when Doug Warmolts

Come closer.... a little closer....BOOM! 💥 Did you know freshwater mussels shoot their fertilized eggs (glochidia) at passing fish? The glochidia hitch a ride on the host fish's gills for several weeks before dropping to the stream bed to start their new life. Our native freshwater mussels are the foundation of healthy rivers and streams. They clean waterways, stabilize aquatic ecosystems, and have the coolest life cycle around. Video shows a largemouth bass grabbing a plain pocketbook mussel l