Found big slabs of Ordovician goodness

[Recker]

Finally was able to get out on the river for my first hunt of the year, the water receded time to see what the winter flood brought.  I found some big layered slabs of Ordovician bits and pieces and am looking forward to cleaning them up to see what I got.  Also found a beautiful mussel half, full of pink mother of pearl.  I left it as I found it as Indiana law requires.  Was great to get out!

[Recker]

Sorry I didn't have a tape measure with me but the plate in the second and third photo weighted about 30lbs.

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice bryozoan hash plates! 

I think I see crinoid columnals as well. 

[Recker]

11 minutes ago, Tidgy's Dad said:

Nice bryozoan hash plates! 

I think I see crinoid columnals as well. 

There is so much in them, layers upon layers.  Probably about 3" thick.  I wasn't able to carry the whole rock out today was just to heavy but I'm going back tomorrow to get the rest of it.

[Wrangellian]

Wait... you're supposed to leave that shell there? Empty/dead?

[Recker]

Yep, Indiana law.  "Freshwater mussel harvest was legal in Indiana until 1991, when it was suspended to help protect dwindling populations. It is still illegal to take or possess a live mussel or dead shell material from Indiana waters. (312 IAC 9-9-3 Mussels)"

 

[Recker]

20 minutes ago, Wrangellian said:

Wait... you're supposed to leave that shell there? Empty/dead?

I've found quite a few, this a whole mussel that I found last summer and what it looks like inside.

[FranzBernhard]

3 hours ago, Wrangellian said:

Wait... you're supposed to leave that shell there? Empty/dead?

It sounds stupid at the first sight, but it isn´t. It is not allowed to collect and posses any freshwater shells. It can not be determined from an empty shell in a collection, if the animal was alive or dead when it was collected. Therefore a complete ban was introduced, to take off the human predatory pressure on the living ones.

We had this topic already somewhere else, I think.

Franz Bernhard

[MrR]

14 hours ago, FranzBernhard said:

It sounds stupid at the first sight, but it isn´t. It is not allowed to collect and posses any freshwater shells. It can not be determined from an empty shell in a collection, if the animal was alive or dead when it was collected. Therefore a complete ban was introduced, to take off the human predatory pressure on the living ones.

We had this topic already somewhere else, I think.

Franz Bernhard

There are similar laws regarding keeping the feathers of certain extant raptors. Red-tails for one. I remember that I had 3 or 4 that I'd found while hiking in the hills near my house, as well as from the sidewalk in front of my house. A friend who is an outdoor sports writer told me that it was illegal to have them, and that they carried very large fines if you're caught with them. It was for the same reasons that Franz Bernhard mentioned. How would a game warden, ranger, etc., know whether you got the feathers in an innocent way rather than shooting the bird and plucking numerous examples?

Soon after he told me I threw them out. It felt kind of stupid to do that, but the fines were in the multiple thousands of dollars per feather. Not worth the risk. A check online for people selling them will only turn up painted and/dyed feathers from non-threatened species. Since then I've seen a few and left them where they were, like the OP and the mussel. Cheers.

[Recker]

MrR, you are so right.  I've found quite a few beautiful freshwater mussels they've all been empty shells and dead for quite some time unfortunately.  Would love to come across some living ones as they are so beneficial to filtering the water.