Standards Development

Scope

This document is intended to provide generic guidance applicable to a suite of mussel species in Europe. It will be based on best practice developed and used by experts in Europe and will describe approaches that individual countries have adopted for survey, data analysis and condition assessment. Its focus will be on the Family Unionidae, with only a brief reference to the small ‘pea clams’ in the Family Sphaeriidae. In contrast to the published CEN standard on freshwater pearl mussel (EN 16859:2017), which is restricted to specific types of running waters in certain geographical regions of Europe), this new standard will cover a much wider range of methods and recommendations applicable to a diversity of geographical regions and habitats including streams, lakes, ponds and reservoirs of different sizes.

Purpose

Bivalve molluscs play an important role in aquatic ecosystems, but these species are now in serious decline.

The primary objective of the standard is to provide recommendations for monitoring freshwater mussel populations and their habitat in a consistent manner across Europe in order to aid conservation. The need for a CEN standard on freshwater mussel monitoring and assessment is compelling, and its likely impact is significant based on experience using EN 16859:2017: Guidance standard on monitoring freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) populations and their environment.

Its development has been requested by those working on an EU-funded COST Action project – COST Action CA18239: CONFREMUS – Conservation of Freshwater Mussels: A Pan-European Approach.

This work has been discussed at meetings of CEN/TC 230/WG 21 (the CEN Working Group on invertebrates) and by meetings of the COST Action delegates.