again, stimulating a recent (since 1975) revival in the mussel industry 

 that is not yet reflected in the commercial statistics in Table 5, 

 which were only available through 1970. The Tennessee Shell Company, 

 thelargest buyer of shells, has not branched out into manufacturing 

 novelty table tops with freshwater shells embedded in plastic, so 

 perhaps the demand for shells will stabilize. 



Species Composition Changes . An investigation of species records 

 for the lower Illinois River since 1912 indicates the loss of several 

 species from this stretch of the river (Table 6). The number of species 

 recorded for Alton pool has been reduced from a total of 31 since 1912 to 

 only 14 in 1966-1969: a loss of 17 species. However, fewer species have 



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