Work continues to identify host fish and propagation techniques for a variety of Upper Mississippi River mussels.  Some species like black sandshell (Ligumia recta), mucket (Actinonaias ligamentina), fat mucket (Lampsilis siliquoidea) and plain pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium) have been successfully propagated. Identifying a host fish for spectaclecase (Cumberlandia monodonata), a federal candidate species, still eludes researchers.

Juvenile plain pocketbook (Lampsilis cardium) collected in 2006 from closed propagation cages in the Upper Mississippi River, Pool 4 (Frontenac), Minnesota.  Mussels were subsequently held in fish incubation trays at the Genoa National Fish Hatchery.  Photo by Tony Brady, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.