Don’t move a mussel: Disease might follow
Conservationists make recommendations for preventing the spread of parasites when translocating mussels and other struggling species
April 28, 2021
One way to bolster a dwindling animal population—whether it’s caused by environmental degradation, over predation or lack of resources—is to pack up a portion of the species and move it somewhere more welcoming, often to supplement an existing population. But this increasingly popular technique, called translocation, may also transport parasitic diseases to a potentially vulnerable population. When moving an animal and leaving it in place both carry a risk for the future of the species, how can conservationists know when translocation is worth it?