South Carolina's freshwater ecosystems are a lifeline for countless species, providing clean water habitat and delicate interactions between species that are essential for biodiversity.

♪ In these serene waters, the Carolina Heelsplitter, a small yet significant freshwater mussel, makes its home.

♪ Unfortunately, this remarkable species faces numerous challenges from habitat destruction to pollution threatening its very existence.

♪ However, dedicated conservation efforts are ongoing, striving to restore and protect the Heelsplitter's, dwindling populations and the functions of our vital waterways in the wild.

♪ ♪ ♪ Mollusk are a diverse group of invertebrates, encompassing species such as snails, clams, squids and octopuses.

♪ Bivalves, a class of mollusks, play crucial roles in their ecosystems.

♪ They act as filter feeders, cleaning the water of particulate matter and serve as a food source for many other animals.

♪ Their shells composed of calcium carbonate contribute to the structure of habitats and provide shelter for various organisms.

♪ Like other bivalves, the Carolina Heelsplitter has two hinged shells that protect its soft body inside.

♪ The Heelsplitter require specific habitat conditions to thrive.

♪ It prefers stable stream beds with a moderate gradient, often bordered by mature forests that provide shade and contributes to water quality.

♪ Reproduction for the Carolina Heelsplitter is a delicate and complex process.

♪ During the breeding season, females release tiny larvae known as Glochidia into the water.

♪ These larvae, which are the size of a grain of sand, must attach themselves to the gills or fins a specific host fish species to develop further.

♪ Like other freshwater mussel species, the Carolina Heelsplitter has a unique way of attracting host fish.

Female Heelsplitters produce a loose conglutinant, which is a specialized package of glochidia that mimics a food source for fish.

♪ Although still understudied, this small packet may entice the fish to eat the glochidia, allowing them to attach.

♪ This process does not hurt the fish and acts as a main source of distribution for the mussel species.

♪ Once they have successfully parasitized the host, the glochidia transform into juvenile mussels and eventually detach settling into the stream bed to begin their independent lives.

♪ ♪ The Heelsplitter is the only mussel listed as federally endangered in South Carolina.

♪ Sadly, this remarkable bivalve has been reduced to only eight surviving populations, two in North Carolina and six in South Carolina.

♪ This drastic decline is a result of numerous ecological threats, primarily stemming from human activities.

Pollution from industrial discharges and sewage treatment plants, along with stormwater runoff, carrying silt, fertilizers and pesticides severely degrade its habitat.

Additionally, habitat alteration due to impoundments channelization and dredging further disrupts the delicate balance these mussels require.

♪ ♪ Since 2018, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources has been engaged in a multi-step conservation effort to save the Carolina Heelsplitter, which includes propagating, culturing animals, and monitoring wild and augmented populations.

The first step in propagating these mussels is to find suitable host fish.

♪ A dedicated team is dispatched to carefully selected streams armed with nets and electro-fishing backpacks.

Electro-fishing uses an electric current to stun or alter the behavior of fish, allowing them to be caught.

These fish are then held in tanks and the team moves on to the next step, gathering Heelsplitters.

♪ A SCDNR team, with other partners, once again ventures out into select streams, using bathyscopes to locate and gather female Heelsplitters that are brooding larvae.

♪ Any male or premature mussels discovered are documented and tagged with pit tags and ID numbers, using a safe adhesive on their shells for further study.

♪ Once all animals for propagation are acquired, the female Heelsplitters are placed in beakers with specific chemicals to help them relax and release their glochidia into the water.

♪ ♪ This water is then strained through several levels of filtering cups to separate the glochidia.

♪ ♪ Samples are observed under a microscope to ensure their health and determine their readiness for the next step in the process.

♪ Once ready, the host fish are isolated into separate holding tanks and a glochidia rich solution is introduced to their water supply, allowing the glochidia to attach to the host fish' gills.

♪ ♪ ♪ The glochidia then grow into juvenile mussels, eventually dropping off of the fish's gills where they are collected and cultured over the next year before being released back into the wild.

♪ During culture, biologists monitor their growth and survival, altering, growing tanks and food as needed.

♪ There's more Carolina Heelsplitters here than there are in the wild.

♪ Based on annual monitoring, a site is chosen for releasing the hatchery produced mussels, each of which is given a pit tag and an ID number for future monitoring ♪ Before being released, all mussels are acclimated to their new home by slowly mixing in the local stream water.

Thanks to organizations like the Catawba Valley Land Trust, streams like this one are kept safe and undisturbed.

This intricate process combining careful fieldwork and laboratory techniques, aims to give the Carolina Heelsplitter a fighting chance at survival in the wild.

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