ONE of the UK’s rarest wildlife species is set to get extra help in one of its last strongholds in West and North Devon.

Devon Wildlife Trust has recently launched a project to safeguard freshwater pearl mussels on the River Torridge. The river has the fourth largest remaining population in England, but the mussels are threatened due to the poor health of the watercourses.

This Biffa Award-funded project, with the Freshwater Biological Association (FBA) as the lead partner organisation, will be looking at methods to protect and enhance existing populations as well as offering support and advice to landowners and communities for methods of reducing river pollution.

Gillian French, Biffa Award programme manager, said: ‘This project is an exciting opportunity to save one of the most long-lived animals from extinction; the freshwater pearl mussel can live for more than 100 years and is internationally protected.’

The project will run for three years and is part of a broader approach to improve water quality and river health in north Devon.

Izzy Moser, the new freshwater pearl mussel officer, said: ‘Thriving freshwater pearl mussel populations are a good indicator of healthy watercourses.

‘Healthy watercourses are vital for providing clean drinking water, maintaining biodiversity, supporting local fisheries and communities and meeting the new stringent standards for bathing waters.’

Freshwater pearl mussels are a long-lived species with a fascinating lifecycle, of which part is spent attached to the gills of Atlantic salmon and brown trout. These long-lived mussels were once numerous across Devon and much of the UK. However, they are not thought to have bred successfully in the river Torridge since the 1960s and as a result, are in serious decline.

A small amount of money is available for workshops, one to one advice and grants for habitat improvement work or farm infrastructure enhancements. The overall aim of these workshops and grants is to reduce the amount of sediments, nitrates and phosphates entering the watercourse, therefore improving water quality.

The Devon Wildlife Trust project incorporates a range of partners including Westcountry Rivers Trust, North Devon Biosphere Reserve and the Environment  Agency. Together, these teams will be working to monitor populations, enhance reproduction and improve water quality.

Izzy Moser is now calling on landowners and farmers, particularly those who farm along the main River Torridge, to get in touch for advice on riparian management and the potential for grant support.

If you would like to find out more, or are interested in getting involved, please email Izzy at [email protected]