Freshwater mussels have a unique life history, requiring the use of fish in the life cycle.
Eggs of female mussels are fertilized internally by sperm released into the water and taken in by females during siphoning. Once mature, the female then spews them out into the water, where they must attach and encyst on a suitable host fish for the transformation of larvae to juvenile mussels. The juveniles then drop from the fish to begin their lives on the river bottom. The process of producing juvenile mussels begins by collecting suitable host fish from the river and holding them in captivity until gravid female mussels can be found. In the laboratory, the larvae in the gills of the female mussel are flushed out using a hypodermic needle filled with water.