Native freshwater mussels are generally very tasteless. They are OK to eat safety wise though, unless taken from polluted waters. There are several species of native fingernail clams which are quite small. There are a couple of introduced species of freshwater clams from Asia found in parts of the US. Our native freshwater mussels have a parasitic stage. Most biologists feel they're generally not harmful to their fish hosts though. No doubt the mussels do provide a food source to fish. However, because of their larger size and hard shell. Their value is limited.
