Where the Sabine River becomes shin-deep about 20 minutes north of Tyler, three biologists dismount midstream from a narrow metal boat. Lance Williams, a professor at the University of Texas at Tyler, has located the perfect spot for today’s hunt.
They’re looking for mussels, the unassuming, mostly stationary bivalves that call scores of Texas rivers and lakes home. Mussels clean the water by sucking up pollutants, and they’re an important food source for fish, birds, and other animals.
