page_title: Freshwater pearl mussel
section_title: Distribution
hierarchical_section_title: Freshwater pearl mussel / Distribution
caption_attribution_description: English: Freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera), Swedish "Flodpärlmussla", from the river Navarån, Västernorrland, Sweden.
context_page_description: The freshwater pearl mussel is an endangered species of freshwater mussel, an aquatic bivalve mollusc in the family Margaritiferidae.
  Although the name "freshwater pearl mussel" is often used for this species, other freshwater mussel species can also create pearls and some can also be used as a source of mother of pearl. Most cultured pearls today come from Hyriopsis species in Asia, or Amblema species in North America, both members of the related family Unionidae; pearls are also found within species in the genus Unio.
  The interior of the shell of Margaritifera margaritifera has thick nacre. This species is capable of making fine-quality pearls, and was historically exploited in the search for pearls from wild sources. In recent times, the Russian malacologist Valeriy Zyuganov received worldwide reputation after he discovered that the pearl mussel exhibited negligible senescence and he determined that it had a maximum lifespan of 210–250 years. The data of V.V. Zyuganov have been confirmed by Finnish malacologists and gained general acceptance.
context_section_description: The native distribution of this species is Holarctic. The freshwater pearl mussel can be found on both sides of the Atlantic, from the Arctic and temperate regions of western Russia, through Europe to northeastern North America.
  North America: eastern Canada and New England in the United States' Northeast.
  Europe, including:
  Austria - estimated total population of 70 000 individuals in Mühlviertel (declining) and in Waldviertel (some recruitment), in the states of Upper and Lower Austria, respectively.
  Belgium
  Czech Republic - critically endangered (CR). In Bohemia, probably locally extinct in Moravia. Listed in Decree for implementation, No. 395/1992 Sb. (Czech code) (in Czech: Vyhláška 395/1992 Sb. ve znění vyhl. 175/2006 Sb.) as Critically Threatened species. Its conservation status in 2004-2006 was bad (U2) in a report for the European commission in accordance with Habitats Directive.
  Denmark
  Estonia
  Fennoscandia - vulnerable in Finland and Norway, endangered in Sweden. Very rare in southern Finland, more common in the north. Widespread but not common in Norway; Norway is considered to host a large proportion of the European stock. Rare in Sweden. Also in Kola Peninsula and Karelia (Russia) (see below).
  France
  Germany - critically endangered (vom Aussterben bedroht). Listed as strictly protected species in annex 1 in Bundesartenschutzverordnung.
  Great Britain. More than half the world's recruiting population exists in Scotland with populations in more than 50 rivers, mainly in the Highlands, although illegal harvesting has seriously affected their survival. 75% of sites surveyed in 2010 had suffered "significant and lasting criminal damage" and in response the police and Scottish Natural Heritage have launched a campaign to protect the species. This species has been fully protected in the United Kingdom under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 since 1998 and partly protected according to section 9(1) since 1991.
  Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain)
  Ireland. The Cladagh (Swanlinbar) river contains one of the largest populations surviving in northern Ireland, estimated minimum 10,000, confined to a 6 km stretch of undisturbed river in the middle section.
  Luxembourg
  Latvia
  Lithuania - extinct
  Poland - extinct
  Russian Federation - in the rivers of the White Sea basin of the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk Regions. It is east border of the area of distribution M. margaritifera.
caption: Group of live Margaritifera margaritifera in a river bed in Sweden
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "Margaritifera margaritifera", "Image Make": "PENTAX", "Image Model": "[[Boldie]] Joel Berglund", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Optio W10 Ver 1.00", "Image DateTime": "2007:07:06 13:00:36", "Image Artist": "[[Boldie]] Joel Berglund", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "GFDL CC-BY-SA", "Image ExifOffset": "690", "Image PrintIM": "[80, 114, 105, 110, 116, 73, 77, 0, 48, 51, 48, 48, 0, 0, 33, 0, 1, 0, 22, 0, ... ]", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "3350", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "7850", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/13", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2007:07:06 13:00:36", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2007:07:06 13:00:36", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF CompressedBitsPerPixel": "4", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "370043971/100000000", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "335614381/100000000", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "63/10", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2816", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2112", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "R98", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "3226", "EXIF ExposureIndex": "200", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "38", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "2"}