The little FPMs are ready for new adventures

The JYU team met at Konnevesi research station

Text and pics: Satu Huhtala

Part of our team works at the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences in Jyv盲skyl盲 and part at the Konnevesi Research Station. We hold our weekly meetings on Teams, but it is nice to meet sometimes in the same place. After our weekly meeting, we went to the water hall to say hello to the little freshwater pearl mussels (FPMs) who are already waiting to go to their home rivers.

Picture 1. The joy of work :) Part of LIFE Revives JYU team

Some of the baby FPMs were still eating. Thus the water was so green in the stream pool.聽Our captive facilities allow the young FPMs born there to grow and strengthen before they are released into their home streams. We are really looking forward the summer adventures, both our team and the tiny mussels!

Picture 2. Good food makes the FPMs bigger and stronger
Picture 3. These young ones are looking forward their new adventures at their home river

We hope the adult mussels will have many babies. The pools in our water hall hold adult mussels from several rivers and streams in the hope that they will get better and start producing offspring, as many of them already have done.聽

Picture 4. Adult mussels in the pool
Picture 5. The project is co-funded by the European Union
Picture 6. Microscope is a handy tool when calculating the youngest mussels

We drove the university car and filled up with with local biogas on the way.

Picture 7. Luckily there is local biogas available