The Higashi-Harima area of Hyogo Prefecture has one of the highest reservoir densities in Japan, and a program to cultivate pearls in reservoir-dwelling freshwater mussels is ongoing here.
The program, the "Inami-no Pearl Project," aims to preserve and restore waterside environments in Higashi-Harima by re-introducing mussels that will serve as mother shells for culturing freshwater pearls. Pearl nuclei were inserted in 300 freshwater mussels, which were discharged into two reservoirs in Shikata, Kakogawa City, on November 26, 2006.
The freshwater mussel is a large bivalve with a thin shell that can grow to over 20 centimeters long. It once lived in many reservoirs in the area, but its habitat has been rapidly lost due to water pollution and invasion by non-native species. Today, the number of freshwater mussels is considered a biodiversity indicator. One freshwater mussel is said to be able to purify the volume of water that can fill an oil drum in one day.
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