Freshwater Mussel and Host Fish Exposure to Contaminants of Emerging Concern: Health and Reproductive Evaluations

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is conducting a Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CEC) Project to understand population level impacts, if any, that ecologically relevant mixes CECs have on native freshwater mussels. The study is designed to determine if reproduction in unionids are reduced when mussels are exposed to CEC mixes during glochidia development, spermatogenesis, and host fish infestation and transition. Given same temperature, light, and other water quality parameters do mussels which are exposed to CEC mixes exhibit reduced recruitment to free living juvenile mussels when compared to their counterparts reared in control water? If so which element(s) are impacted? This is a notice of intent to award a single source cooperative agreement to Central Michigan University without competition under justification 505DM 2.14.B.4. This will be executed as part of the Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESU). Competition for the award is not practical as Dr. Woolnough's laboratory is uniquely qualified to perform this study and is capable of preforming the husbandry, exposures, and behavioral and reproductive health assessments necessary for the project. Dr. Woolnough's laboratory is located in a centralized location which allows easy access for Service personnel and trailer validation study sites. Further, Dr. Woolnough is regarded as an expert in Great Lakes mussel ecology host fish interaction and has developed health and reproductive assessment protocols from previous work with the Service which will be utilized in this study allowing the Service to build upon and compare this study to previous research. Substantial involvement on the part of the Service is anticipated for the successful completion of the activities to be funded. Service personnel will provide contaminants expertise and will work closely with CMU to ensure exposures and CEC mix validations are performed according to established guidelines. The Service will also act as the lead in host fish health assessments. CMU will be the lead on maintaining the exposures and all mussel health and reproductive assessments including host fish experiments.