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Fish, Mussels Used to Gauge Water Health

Researchers say organisms that live in rivers and streams — like mussels, fish and aquatic insects — can serve as indicators of water health.

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Texas Fawnsfoot, a potentially endangered mussel
Credit: Texas Parks and Wildlife

A piece by Larry D. Hodge in Texas Parks & Wildlife magazine discusses how organisms that live in rivers and streams — like mussels, fish and aquatic insects — can serve as indicators of water health. The lowly mussel is particularly important in that assessment. “When it comes to the health of a stream, if mussels ain’t happy, nobody’s happy,” Hodge writes.

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