Yates Mill Aquatic Conservation Center

25/04/2025

19/04/2025

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIpCSZNv0Fn/?igsh=MXJibHJuM2x5NGoydg==

08/04/2025

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIMuUScgyK6/

08/04/2025

https://www.instagram.com/p/DIMrU5xACXq/

10/03/2025

You are looking at tiny baby mussels hitching a ride on the gill filaments of a largemouth bass!

This largemouth bass is playing an important role by transferring mussels to new areas of their shared aquatic ecosystem. Mussels are sedentary and cannot move on their own, they need a lift!

The mother mussel did her job by luring the largemouth bass in and releasing her mussel larvae (also known as glochidia) on the fish. The larvae then clamp down on the gill filaments, where they will continue to grow larger. This typically does not harm the fish.

Eventually, the baby mussels will detach from the bass and float down to land in a new spot – thereby creating a new mussel bed! More mussels = better water filtration and a healthier aquatic environment.

📸Molly Webb/USFWS

05/12/2024

https://www.instagram.com/p/DDLRYvqP1DL/?igsh=MWI4OGZoZmZpcGhuNg==

20/11/2024

We are excited to have new resident Carolina Madtoms (Noturus furiosus) - a small, endangered catfish found only in the Neuse and Tar River Basins in North Carolina! This species has been propagated by in Knoxville, TN for a few years now to support declining populations in the wild. Now, we are hoping to learn from them and are working towards being able to help them in their efforts.

15/11/2024

Part of our mission here at the YMACC is public outreach to speak up for the unsung heroes of the aquatic world. We have begun hosting tours by appointment and hope to grow that part of what we do over time. Today, we hosted a group of local environmental educators and were happy to see we made enough of an impression to warrant a video tribute by one of our guests.

30/10/2024

In honor of Halloween, these have to make the list of top 10 scariest-looking animals under 500 microns. Freshwater mussel species in the Anodontini tribe produce larvae with wicked looking fang-like structures that allow them to attach to a fish's outer skin and fins as well as to its gill tissue. While attached to the fish, they undergo metamorphosis to the next life stage, thankfully becoming much less scary, and much easier to love.

17/10/2024

Proud to be part of this effort:

The Magnificent Ramshorn snail is only known to come from one part of North Carolina but hasn't been seen in the wild in over 20 years. This spotty-shelled s...