Mussel Salvage Effort in the Greenup Pool of the Ohio River: Survey Results Including Rediscovery of the Federally Endangered Epioblasma triquetra

David F. Ford^1,*, Evan J. Page^1,2, Alyssa R. Jones¹, Thomas G. Jones^1,2, and David A. Foltz II^1,3

¹Edge Engineering and Science, LLC. 16285 Park Ten Place #300, Houston, TX 77084. ²Marshall University, Natural Resources and the Environment, 1 John Marshall Drive, Huntington, WV 25755. ³West Virginia University, School of Natural Resources and the Environment, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 33, Issue 4 (2026): 528–537

First published early online: 11 November 2026

Abstract
During a large-scale unionid salvage effort in Greenup Pool of the mainstem Ohio River between 2022 and 2025, we spent ~5493 person-hours of effort relocating 54,815 mussels, including 1 live Epioblasma triquetra (Snuffbox). The genera Epioblasma is one of the most at risk, with multiple extinct species. Though Snuffbox has the largest distribution of any surviving Epioblasma species, it has disappeared from >60% of its historic range, and to our knowledge, this individual represents the first verified live Snuffbox within the mainstem of the Ohio River since 1919. Given the individual's size and geographic isolation from known extant populations, this find suggests that localized, low-density remnant populations may persist undetected within the heavily altered Ohio River mainstem. Broad-scale, intensive sampling frameworks are not merely logistical precursors to mitigation efforts, they are essential tools for uncovering rare biodiversity, redefining species distribution limits, and justifying the rigorous habitat protections required to prevent permanent extinction events.

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