Yuku Baja Muliku Rangers and JCU studying freshwater mussels decline

The Annan River mussels are a vital part of the Yuku Baja Muliku (YBM) culture, and the community is concerned that their freshwater shellfish population is declining on the Annan River, near Cooktown, North Queensland, Australia. There was a clear need for scientific information about these resources, so the YBM community approached JCU researchers to form a collaboration of scientists, managers and rangers to rigorously study the mussel beds, help to set-up a monitoring program, and begin to investigate the possible causes of the decline.