A Retrospective Analysis of a Large-Scale Endangered Species Translocation Project

During September and October of 2002, we collected and moved more than 2,000 endangered fat pocketbook pearly mussels, Potamilus capax, from a 5.7-km reach of a drainage ditch in eastern Arkansas. The translocation was to protect mussels from planned maintenance dredging and was required by the Biological Opinion prepared by the US Fish and Wildlife Service. The project did not proceed as planned, and we removed only about 80% of the P. capax. In this article we examine mistakes made, lessons learned, and discuss procedures that might have led to a more favorable outcome. We identified three key decisions that should have been thoroughly discussed prior to initiating the work: percentage of mussels to be removed, choice of recipient sites, and number of mussels to be marked and measured. Two other issues were important: the status of P. capax in Arkansas and the likelihood of future dredging needs at recipient sites. Initially, we felt that decisionanalysis tools, used during planning, would have facilitated a better understanding of complex issues. Although such tools would have encouraged better discussion, it is now apparent that communication was hampered largely by the different perspectives of participants.