Hi All.
Recently I’ve gotten into underwater photography with my new TG-7, this camera has opened up a new world to me previously inaccessible. something that caught my attention is Native mussels. There’s just an allure to me about them, their ecology, life history etc. and of course the beautiful mantle lure displays of of Lampsilis spp. native to my state.
Now I know this maybe a touchy subject since these animals are some of the most threatened species on the planet, and I wouldn’t want to do more harm than good photographing them, potentially disturbing them, but I figure mussels would be a good subject as they are largely unassuming, and taking a brief series of photos shouldn’t disturb them much.
has anyone had such an interest in freshwater mussels and gone about photographing them?.
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I am fairly sure that removing a protected freshwater mussel from the sediment qualifies as relocation and can only be done under a valid scientific collecting permit. Removing them from the sediment opens them to predation and mortality if replaced in the wrong location. If your plans include removing freshwater mussels in any fashion, you should contact the your state department of environmental protection and the US Fish and Wildlife Service and verify the possible permitting requirements. It is worth noting that causing mortality to a federally-endangered species is a felony punishable by fines and jail time.
If you can’t tell the difference between common and critically endangered species, and most people who are not taxonomic experts can’t, you really shouldn’t touch them in any fashion.
Just to let you know, I dealt with endangered species, including freshwater mussels most of my professional career. Even with that experience, I would not qualify for a survey or collection permit except as an assistant to a highly-qualified academic.
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I think the question here would by what are you doing when photographing the mussels? Taking a picture itself is harmless (assuming location is obscured properly), unless they are sensitive to flash. I doubt just being near mussels will disturb them, but I would be careful not to kick up sediment on them
The main problem would be if this requires handling the mussles
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You should be able to get photos without disturbing the mussels, especially of the female lures. These are always great additions to our Living Bivalves project!
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/living-bivalves
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So I wouldn’t remove or disturb the animal from the sediment it’s buried in, just photographing the animal as is without touching it as it feeds from the water column.
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