[NatureNS] lots of empty FW Mussel shells- why?

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From: nancy dowd <nancypdowd@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 16 May 2014 17:29:34 -0300
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None that I saw. But I did not really scan closely either. I find mussels are often in any depth of water where the sediment is soft, fine sand. On this lake. this is often at depths of 1m plus but can also be in shallow water where the preferred sediment has deposited behind several rocks.

Nancy
On 2014-05-16, at 2:10 PM, Dusan Soudek <soudekd@ns.sympatico.ca> wrote:

> Nancy,
>    any living specimens around? They would likely be in somewhat deeper water, not easily visible from land...
> Dusan Soudek
>  
> 
> > On May 16, 2014 at 1:35 PM nancy dowd <nancypdowd@gmail.com> wrote: 
> > 
> > 
> > Water levels have dropped just enough on L Torment to show about 6" of beach in places now but the shore has been completely submerged since last October. The number of mussel shells seen in these pictures is unusual: 
> > 
> > At the end of the path they are visible as far as you can see out into the water: 
> > https://www.flickr.com/photos/92981528@N08/14196083311/ 
> > 
> > And it is this way the whole way along the shore. Another view 40' along the submerged beach: 
> > https://www.flickr.com/photos/92981528@N08/14012727849/ 
> > 
> > This side of the lake has the prevailing onshore winds and waves and the shells are starting to collect in the exposed pockets: 
> > https://www.flickr.com/photos/92981528@N08/14199406975/ 
> > 
> > Why so many empty mussel shells? Would the winter somehow have been hard on them- ice or cold or oxygen levels? Doesn't look like predation to me- too many shells. This is the first year I have ever seen anything like this. 
> > 
> > Any ideas? 
> > 
> > Nancy 
> > 
> >

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