This picture shows the dissection of a washboard mussel to separate out specific tissues that are then digested to determine how many microplastics can be found in them. Part of my research involves tracking the fate of microplastics once ingested by freshwater mussels to increase our understanding of the residence time of these particles and how they may affect important bivalve species found within Canadian waterways. Here I'm separating out the gills, digestive gland, foot and gonad and taking their weights.