59 Freshwater Mussels’ Essential Filtration of the Fox River Jackie Zhang For over several decades, the freshwater mussel population living in the Fox River has been declining due to overharvest, uncontrolled water pollution, disrupted breeding cycles, and habitat destruction.1 The Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board listed 24 of the 62 extant species of mussel as endangered, 12 of which are listed federally endangered or threatened, and 3 additional species were listed as threatened.2 Although they were only viewed as an economic asset starting in the early 1900s for their freshwater pearls, causing the overharvest of their populations, mussels have only been recently recognized for their contributions to the environment of the Fox River with their ability to filter plankton and clarify the river. Phosphorus discharges in the Fox River alongside the uncontrolled growth of the algae population have disrupted the ecosystem of the river because of the declining mussel population, and the unkempt, unsightly growth of the algae in the river has brought attention to the fact that mussels are essential to the environment in their ability to clarify and clean the river. As a result, because the freshwater mussels native to the Fox River take on an essential role in the ecosystem in regulating the growth of algae and cleaning/filtering the river, the community must preserve the ecosystem and health of the Fox River by terminating their actions that cause the declining of their population. 1 Arthur Malm, “The Fox’s Formerly Phenomenal Filtering Freshwater Mussels | Friends of the Fox River,” https://friendsofthefoxriver.org/, April 30, 2018, https://friendsofthefoxriver.org/2018/04/30/the-foxs-formerlyphenomenal-filtering-freshwater-mussels/. 2 Illinois Endangered Species Protection Board, “Checklist of Illinois Endangered and Threatened Animals and Plants,” www2.illinois.gov, May 28, 2020, https://www2.illinois.gov/dnr/ESPB/Documents/ET%20List%20Review%20and%20Revision/IllinoisEndangeredan dThreatenedSpecies.pdf.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjg3OTMy