swan mussels

today,myself and yoggy were doing some backbrook fishing for chub.we were using a roving approach and while we were changing swims etc... i couldn`t help but notice the amount of weed/reeds that seemed to have been cleared from stretches of the water we were fishing.they were piled up on the bankside in dead/decaying heeps and amongst this stuff were loads of empty water snail shells and plenty of swan mussel shells as well.
i dont know if anglers had dragged the stuff out of the swims or the controling club (i suspect the latter)but i always thought that swan mussels were pretty rare nowadays and protected by law....or am i wrong???

Yep Nick they are protected, as are all native bivalves. Whoever did the work should have retuned them to the river. Wildlife and countryside act states it an offence to knowingly a damage protected species, their nests, habitat, roosts, etc.

Another club working party show off their skills at water management.

i suspect this was done in the summer months when the river bed is apparently very weedy at the stretch we were fishing.they were probably pandering to the moaning anglers who kept getting snagged in weed all the time....no excuse though.i know weed can be a pain in the arse alot of the time but i`m afraid we just have to grit our teeth and try to make the best of a sticky situation.at the end of the day,the fish like it and so does the rest of the under water inhabitants in the vacinity....whats the more important!!!

one question...would large fish like carp,barbel or chub crunch through the mussel shells to get to the flesh inside??? do they prefer the younger,immature shell fish as opposed to the bigger,older ones that presumably must take more of an effort to consume???