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Not only is Sevierville, Tennessee a popular town for tourism, but it is also home to a variety of freshwater mussel species. The Little Pigeon River, and its tributary, the West Prong, converge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and flow through this popular Tennessee town. Archeological work along the West Prong in the 1980s uncovered shells from over 40 mussel species, which is an impressive number for a river of its size. Today, the river has a much smaller species assemblage that can be traced back to historical water quality issues within the watershed. However, information about the current mussel populations in these rivers are extremely limited, highlighting the need to conduct surveys.
On August 20th, 2025, staff from Erwin National Fish Hatchery and the Asheville Ecological Services Field Office arrived at the West Prong, ready to see what was hiding beneath the rivers surface. Habitat for freshwater mussels was patchy, but mussels were abundant in areas where the habitat was suitable. The river was surveyed from upstream of the US Highway 441 bridge to its confluence with the Little Pigeon River. Five species were found, including the Pocketbook and the Tennessee Pigtoe.
Staff continued to survey the Little Pigeon River downstream of its confluence with the West Prong. This river was cooler than its tributary, and was home to a wide assortment of fish species. Redhorses, hogsuckers, bass, sunfish, and a variety of minnow species were seen swimming throughout the river. However, mussels were less abundant here than they were in the West Prong. There were long stretches of suitable habitat that did not contain any mussels. Every species present in the West Prong was also found in the Little Pigeon. One species, Purple Lilliput, was observed in the mainstem, but not the tributary. Staff plan to survey these areas in the future to better understand the species richness and densities to support management actions like, propagation and potential reintroductions, in the future.
