Tennessee Aquarium Will Build a Biological Field Station on River

Chattanooga (WDEF) – The Tennessee Aquarium will build a new facility on the riverfront on the Baylor campus.

It will be a 14,000 square foot freshwater science center, the only one in the Southeast.

The Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute will operate the biological field station which will hold research labs, a teaching lab for local students and the equipment for reintroduction programs.

“TNACI’s role in collaborative conservation planning allows our research to have a direct and lasting impact throughout the region,” said Dr. George. “We work with other conservation managers in the Southeast to ensure that as our region grows, we are able to preserve the freshwater animals and habitats that support our high quality of life.”

TNACI has been beefing up their staff for new research projects on turtles and salamanders.

8-10 scientists and educators will move into the new facility which should open next summer or fall. 

While the main aquarium draws younger children for their education programs, this new station will focus on high school and college students who are interested in environmental studies.

More than 660 of the 905 native fish species found in the United States live within a 500 mile circle around Chattanooga.

We also have half of the freshwater turtles found in North America, and nearly all of the salamanders, mussels and crayfish.

“We are surrounded by an underwater rainforest,” said Dr. Anna George, director of the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI). “These amazing freshwater communities are unparalleled for any location outside the tropics. This is why the Southeast is so exciting to the scientific community.”

Here is a look at what the Conservation Institute does.