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josefritzisheretoday at 2:39 PM1 replyview on HN

TLDR: Consequently many freshwater mussel species are now extinct https://www.fws.gov/press-release/2023-10/21-species-deliste...


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close04today at 2:44 PM

> TLDR: Consequently many freshwater mussel species are now extinct

The problem with the DR part of TLDR is that you miss a lot of detail. There are more factors than just the button industry.

> To survive past the larvae stage, they must become parasites that attach themselves to fish. If the fish populations are declining, that oftentimes has an indirect effect on mussel abundance

> the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deepened the rivers and constructed a system of dams, destroying the habitats of mussels that had evolved to live in shallower waters.

> Increasingly polluted waters also took a toll.

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