The juvenile freshwater pearl mussels that have been bred and looked after at the Freshwater Biological Institute, Windermere for the past 9 years were reintroduced to the wild in a Cumbrian river last week. Over the last few weeks the juveniles have been preparing for their change in conditions from a protected indoor tray with controlled flow to a real river – storm conditions, summer low flows, predators and variable water quality. To do this the team at FBA had constructed a flume with a greater depth of gravels and flow conditions that could be altered to simulate those of a river. Project Officers from West Cumbria Rivers Trust and FBA will continue to closely monitor the mussels. This is a Biffa Award funded project.