Assignment text
River mussels are threatened in accordance with the Norwegian Red List for species (2015), and are, in addition, a species with responsibilities for Norway. The cultivation of river mussels project (Margaritifera margaritifera) intends to strengthen threatened stocks of the species in Norway. This is done through the collection of adult stock mussels from river systems where recruitment is absent or weak, and where the stock is, therefore, in danger of dying out. The mussels are sent to Austevoll outside Bergen, where a specially design site has been built, with the intention of producing recruits that can be released into the wild. The site operation involves all steps in the life cycle, including the parasitic stage on trout or salmon. Trials are releasing have shown that the mussels that are released into the wild ought to be minimum 4 mm and kept at the site for minimum 2 years.
The University of Bergen has developed methodology since 2012 for the cultivation of river mussels and has run the site at Austevoll.