Can river mussels that were commonly seen in rural river ditches be eaten? Why is it so rare now?

A few decades ago, there were many river mussels in many rivers and reservoirs in rural areas. Every time they came home from school, friends would go diving in groups to catch them. However, because river mussels live under the mud, and pesticides were used more frequently in the past, adults are worried that these river mussels will store too many harmful substances in their bodies. Many people catch them and feed them to chickens and ducks, and rarely use them themselves. eat. Because of this, there was a saying earlier that river clams cannot be eaten. But now in the same waters, we can hardly find any trace of river mussels. This is just like the childhood of our generation, gone forever. So where did all the mussels that used to live in the ditch go? Is it already extinct?

First, let’s talk about whether river clams can be eaten. In fact, river mussels are edible and have high nutritional value. They are rich in protein, fat, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamins and more riboflavin and other nutrients. They have good health effects on the human body, nourishing yin and nourishing yin. It has the functions of calming the liver, improving eyesight, and preventing eye diseases. As a mollusk, river mussels have thick shells and still have a lot of meat. When many people use it, they will take out the clam meat, rub it with salt a few times, wash off the mucus, and then scrape off the humus part. After this treatment, they will get white, thick and tender clam meat, which can be used for cooking. People cook, stew, and boil a little to make various delicacies and enjoy them. In the early days, many people went down to the river specifically to catch river mussels and come back to eat them.

Secondly, the taste of river mussels will be a bit fishy. Once it is not cooked properly, it will taste fishy and the meat will be difficult to chew. But now even if people want to eat it, it may be difficult to buy it. River mussels, also known as river clams, are the collective name for molluscs in the family Rodidae. They mainly live at the bottom of freshwater lakes, swamps, rivers, etc., half-buried in sediment, and are widely distributed around the world. There are currently over 600 known species of river mussels. Many people who have come into contact with river mussels will feel that their appearance is very similar, so they assume that they are from the same species. But in fact, the river mussels you often see may be different species. However, because different types of river mussels and the environments they live in are basically the same, they have serious convergent evolution and the appearance of the species is very similar. This is also directly This leads to difficulties in the taxonomy of river mussels. It is understood that there are at least dozens of river mussels in my country, among which the common three are the ruffled crown mussel, the domed bead mussel, and the dorsal hornless mussel.

Thirdly, there are two main reasons for the decrease in the number of mussels in rivers and ditches. One is environmental changes. With the use of pesticides, many rivers and ditches have been polluted. Many clear streams have turned into smelly ditches. Not only river mussels, but also fish and shrimps have become very rare. There are even no ditches left in some places. Coupled with the impact of urbanization, many rivers and ditches have become It has been filled in and made into farmland. Secondly, I don’t know if you have noticed that the changes in water bodies in recent years have been more serious than in the past. In the past, water bodies near villages, whether they were small boxes or small pools, basically had a drop in water level, and rarely dried up or stopped flowing. , but this situation is very common now. More and more wild water bodies are drying up. This situation directly affects the survival of river mussels. Second, with the improvement of living standards, many of the ingredients you want to eat can be purchased in the market, and safety issues may be better guaranteed, so you no longer need to go into the river to catch them yourself.