Deep within the Cherokee National Forest resides an overlooked beauty. Red-bellied wonders swim in local streams native to the Tennessee-Appalachian area. Formerly categorized as “Trash Fish,” the Southern Appalachian Brook Trout takes center stage as many organizations restore its declining populations. Brook Trout are taken as brood stock and spawned by the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation…
Lake Sturgeon reintroduction program anticipates natural spawning following 25th anniversary release
Conservationists, community leaders, students and other special guests gathered on Oct. 23, 2025 on a small boat launch below Market Street Bridge in Chattanooga for the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute’s (TNACI’s) 25th anniversary Lake Sturgeon release. Attendees released approximately 500 juvenile Lake Sturgeon, into the Tennessee River, and watched as they swam into what will…
Saving the Laurel Dace
50 miles North of Chattanooga, a thumb-sized anomaly swims between the rocks and moss of the small streams on Walden Ridge. To the unknown eye, these fish, known as the Laurel Dace, could easily be overlooked or mistaken for any other small freshwater fish that is found in East Tennessee. The rarity of Laurel Dace…