Caitlin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2004
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Now who is growing pearls in the US?
http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new32_512200674912.asp
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Friday, May 12, 2006[/FONT]
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Mussels stolen from Muskingum
By Brad Bauer
A man wearing diving equipment outside his Marietta motel room early Thursday morning caught the eye of a police officer and led to the discovery of more than 1,700 pounds of illegally harvested river mussels.
The mussels, some of which were federally protected endangered species, were taken for use in the production of cultured pearls, police said.
All of the mussels are believed to have been taken from the Muskingum River just below the Lowell dam.
Marietta Police Capt. Jeff Waite said shortly before 4:30 a.m. Ptl. Matt McCracken noticed a man wearing a wetsuit outside a room at the Budget Inn, 408 Pike St.
?He thought that was strange, but then the guy saw him and ducked down and another individual ran into the motel,? Waite said. ?As soon as he got out of his cruiser he said all he could smell was river water ? it was the mussels in the back of the truck.?
In all, three individuals ? all from Tennessee ? were arrested and charged with felony-level wildlife violations. The three are expected to be arraigned at 1 p.m. today in Marietta Municipal Court.
Charged out of the incident are Tim Rutherford, 33, of Eva, Tenn.; Kirk Benson, 34, of Camden, Tenn.; and Larry Black, 27, of Camden, Tenn.
State officials are calling the bust the largest of its kind in at least five years.
?It really depends on what is going on with the market value of cultured pearls,? said Susan Matthews, spokeswoman with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. ?When prices go up so do these kinds of attempts.?
The cultured pearl industry currently pays between $1 and $3 per pound for the creatures, Matthews said.
Police counted 2,386 mussels ? weighing 1,753 pounds ? in the bed of the pickup truck at the motel. After being weighed and sorted the mussels were returned to the river.
?We think most will survive,? Matthews said. ?We had to hurry, but they seemed to be doing OK.?
Matthews said Ohio is a tempting site for mussel collectors because the creatures are protected here. In Tennessee, where mussels are not protected, many shell beds have been depleted.
?The resources just aren?t there anymore,? Matthews said. ?So they look for other water areas were they can be found.?
The Muskingum River is home to 30 to 40 species of mussels. Prior to the system of locks and dams, the river was home to more than 60 species, Matthews said.
Today, several federally endangered mussels, including the fanshell, are struggling to continue in the Muskingum. Other endangered species include the Ohio pigtoe, the butterfly mussel, and the washboard mussel.
Poachers particularly covet the washboard, which grows to be as large as a pie plate with inch-thick shells.
Wildlife officials say mussels provide a natural gauge of water quality.
Mussels generally live 30 to 40 years ? all in the same area of a river. Different species range in their tolerance to pollutants, Matthews said.
The mussel population, which at one point was continuous throughout the Muskingum, has since dwindled to within the first mile or two of each dam.
http://www.mariettatimes.com/news/story/new32_512200674912.asp
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Friday, May 12, 2006[/FONT]
[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]? Time: 7:49:12 AM EST[/FONT][/FONT]
Mussels stolen from Muskingum
By Brad Bauer
A man wearing diving equipment outside his Marietta motel room early Thursday morning caught the eye of a police officer and led to the discovery of more than 1,700 pounds of illegally harvested river mussels.
The mussels, some of which were federally protected endangered species, were taken for use in the production of cultured pearls, police said.
All of the mussels are believed to have been taken from the Muskingum River just below the Lowell dam.
Marietta Police Capt. Jeff Waite said shortly before 4:30 a.m. Ptl. Matt McCracken noticed a man wearing a wetsuit outside a room at the Budget Inn, 408 Pike St.
?He thought that was strange, but then the guy saw him and ducked down and another individual ran into the motel,? Waite said. ?As soon as he got out of his cruiser he said all he could smell was river water ? it was the mussels in the back of the truck.?
In all, three individuals ? all from Tennessee ? were arrested and charged with felony-level wildlife violations. The three are expected to be arraigned at 1 p.m. today in Marietta Municipal Court.
Charged out of the incident are Tim Rutherford, 33, of Eva, Tenn.; Kirk Benson, 34, of Camden, Tenn.; and Larry Black, 27, of Camden, Tenn.
State officials are calling the bust the largest of its kind in at least five years.
?It really depends on what is going on with the market value of cultured pearls,? said Susan Matthews, spokeswoman with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. ?When prices go up so do these kinds of attempts.?
The cultured pearl industry currently pays between $1 and $3 per pound for the creatures, Matthews said.
Police counted 2,386 mussels ? weighing 1,753 pounds ? in the bed of the pickup truck at the motel. After being weighed and sorted the mussels were returned to the river.
?We think most will survive,? Matthews said. ?We had to hurry, but they seemed to be doing OK.?
Matthews said Ohio is a tempting site for mussel collectors because the creatures are protected here. In Tennessee, where mussels are not protected, many shell beds have been depleted.
?The resources just aren?t there anymore,? Matthews said. ?So they look for other water areas were they can be found.?
The Muskingum River is home to 30 to 40 species of mussels. Prior to the system of locks and dams, the river was home to more than 60 species, Matthews said.
Today, several federally endangered mussels, including the fanshell, are struggling to continue in the Muskingum. Other endangered species include the Ohio pigtoe, the butterfly mussel, and the washboard mussel.
Poachers particularly covet the washboard, which grows to be as large as a pie plate with inch-thick shells.
Wildlife officials say mussels provide a natural gauge of water quality.
Mussels generally live 30 to 40 years ? all in the same area of a river. Different species range in their tolerance to pollutants, Matthews said.
The mussel population, which at one point was continuous throughout the Muskingum, has since dwindled to within the first mile or two of each dam.
LOL
