The Pearl Mussel Project
What is the Pearl Mussel Project and how does it work?
What is the Pearl Mussel Project?
The Pearl Mussel Project is a programme for farmers to help to protect the endangered Freshwater Pearl Mussel.
One time Freshwater Pearl Mussels could be found in rivers and streams across Ireland, but today they are only found in a small number of places.
Freshwater Pearl Mussels are very sensitive to their environment, and you will only find them in very clean rivers and streams.
Because Freshwater Pearl Mussels are so sensitive to their environment, they can be used as an indicator of good water quality.
That means that if Freshwater Pearl Mussels begin to disappear from a river, the water quality in that river is not as good as it used to be.
Because Freshwater Pearl Mussels are so rare in Ireland, it is important to protect them, to make sure that they will survive in the future.
It is also important to protect them because if we have healthy populations of Freshwater Pearl Mussels this also means that we have healthy rivers and streams.
Where is the Pearl Mussel Project?
The Pearl Mussel Project works with farmers in eight special project areas in the north, west, and south of Ireland, where some of the best populations of Freshwater Pearl Mussels can be found. The eight project areas are outlined in red in this map - do you live near any of them?
Map showing Pearl Mussel Project catchments and associated waterbodies
Why are the project areas different shapes?
The project areas are all different shapes and sizes! Each project area is actually a river catchment area. Have you ever heard of a river catchment before?
A catchment for a specific river includes all of the land that drains into that river. For example, if rain falls on a field, and that rain water eventually flows into the River Shannon, then that field is part of the Shannon River catchment. So each project area outlined in red on the map includes land that drains into rivers that are very important for Freshwater Pearl Mussel.
How can farmers help?
If you have seen our story map about the Freshwater Pearl Mussel you will know that they live in rivers and streams - so you might be wondering how farmers can help, because they are farming on the land!
Well, because all of the land within each catchment, or project area, drains into rivers or streams where Freshwater Pearl Mussels live, what happens on the land can have an impact on the water quality in the rivers.
Do you remember what kind of conditions the Freshwater Pearl Mussel needs to survive?
If you need a reminder take a look here:
Some of the most important things that Freshwater Pearl Mussels needs are clean water, clean river beds made up of different sized stones, and a steady flow of water.
Any pollution in the river can be very harmful for Freshwater Pearl Mussels. A lot of the pollution in our rivers and streams comes from the land - can you think of some examples of pollution in rivers and how it might happen?
One common problem in rivers is that there are too many nutrients in the water. This causes lots and lots of algae to grow, which can reduce the amount of oxygen in the water and cause the river bed to get clogged up.
Do you think this would be a problem for Freshwater Pearl Mussels? Why?
Another common problem is that a lot of our rivers have been changed by humans and so they might have more or less water than they did before, or the water might flow more quickly or more slowly. Do you remember what type of flow the Freshwater Pearl Mussel prefers?
In Ireland we have a lot of wetland habitats. These are places that are wet for at least part of the year and include rivers and lakes, but also bogs and other types of peatlands.
For a long time people thought that these wetlands had no use or value and so they were often drained, to dry them out and do something else with the land.
It turns out that wetlands are actually really important habitats that support high levels of biodiversity!
Check out our biodiversity story map here:
Even though this drainage happens on land, it has an impact on nearby rivers and streams, by changing the flow of water.
This happens because peatlands are like sponges. They can soak up lots and lots of water when it is wet, and then they can slowly release this water during dry spells. This means that if there is lots of rain, the peatlands will soak up the extra water, so the rivers don't flood, and when there is no rain for a long time, the peatlands will slowly release water back into the river, so that the river doesn't run dry.
But if you drain a peatland, its like getting a scissors and cutting into the sponge. If a sponge had lots of cuts in it do you think it would be able to soak up water? No! The peatland is the same, after it has been drained it can't soak up and release water like it used to anymore, and this has an impact in the river, and on the plants and animals living in it.
So as you can see lots of the activities that happen on land can actually have an impact on the water in our rivers and streams!
How does the Pearl Mussel Project help?
The Pearl Mussel Project rewards farmers for taking care of their lands in a way that does not harm the rivers or streams in the catchment area. This means looking after any rivers and streams on their farm, making sure that the habitats on the farm are in good condition, and making sure that what they do on their land does not harm the water quality in rivers and streams.
To decide how good the habitat is on different farms the Pearl Mussel Project team came up with scorecards. We have a scorecards for three different habitats that you often find on farms: grasslands, peatlands (like bogs), and woodlands. The highest score you can get is 10/10. Any plot (field) that gets this score is in really good condition and is helping the environment, protecting water quality, and helping the Freshwater Pearl Mussel. Plots that score 10/10 get the highest payment and plots that get lower scores get lower payments.
Pearl Mussel Project catchment officer using a scorecard
There are lots of different questions on the scorecards. The first part of the scorecard is about the different plants that are growing in the plot - more types of plants means more biodiversity, and better environmental quality!
But some plant species growing in the plot might not be good for biodiversity. An example is an invasive species like Japanese Knotweed which can overgrow native species and reduce biodiversity. Plots that have invasive species get lower scores, but the Pearl Mussel Project can help the farmers to remove the invasive species if they want.
The next part of the scorecard is all about how the plot is connected to rivers and streams. If the plot is connected to rivers and streams and it is in good condition and helping to protect water quality, it gets a high score.
If the plot has a lot of new drains that are connected to a Pearl Mussel river then it will get a lower score, because these drains will change the flow of water in the river and might also allow more sediment and nutrients to get into the river.
To help to improve the score of drained plots farmers can block drains to help the flow of water in the rivers and reduce the amount of nutrients and sediments ending up in the river.
The wooden board in the photograph was used to partly block a drain and help to keep the Freshwater Pearl Mussel river in good condition.
The last part of the scorecard is all about damaging activities on the plot. For example if there is a lot of bare soil in the plot it would get a lower score, because this soil could get washed into the river and clog up the river bed.
Do you think the area in the photograph would get a high or low score? Why?
Farmers can get advice on how to get higher scores. Sometimes this might mean moving animals out of a field for a little while to let the plants grow, or it might mean putting a drinking trough in a field so that animals don't drink straight out of the river.
Each farmer has a farm advisor and the advisor visits the each farm every summer to score all of the plots and make suggestions for actions that might help the farmer to get better scores. Then the advisor sends the scores into the Pearl Mussel Project and we check the scores and work out how much money the farmer will get paid.
Take a look at this drawing of a farm and see if you can spot anything that might be bad for water quality and Freshwater Pearl Mussels.
Can you think of any solutions for these problems?
If you were the farmer's advisor what would you suggest that the farmer might do to get a better score next year?
Can you see any of your ideas or solutions on this drawing?
Do you think the changes in this picture will help to protect water quality and Freshwater Pearl Mussels? How?
We hope that by the end of the Pearl Mussel Project most fields will be getting high scores. This will mean that they are in really good condition and are helping to provide good habitat conditions for Freshwater Pearl Mussels in the rivers and streams. Because Freshwater Pearl Mussels need really good water quality to survive this means that if we can create conditions that are good enough for the Freshwater Pearl Mussel to survive we will also be creating conditions that are suitable for a whole range of other plants and animals too! And of course if the fields are getting higher scores the farmer will get more money for his work to protect Freshwater Pearl Mussels. A win win for everyone!
Farmers, farm advisors, and the Pearl Mussel Project team working together to improve environmental conditions.
You can find more information about Freshwater Pearl Mussel and the Pearl Mussel Project on our website!
You can also download activity sheets to go with this story map here !
The Pearl Mussel Project is an EIP (European Innovation Partnership) Locally Led Scheme being administered by Pearl Mussel Project Ltd. The Project is funded by the Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine as part of Ireland's Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
