A group of scientists recently released about 100 baby dinosaurs into the chilly waters of the Tennessee River near downtown Chattanooga.
The team worked quickly and efficiently to shift dozens of juvenile Lake Sturgeon into the river from the water-filled plastic bins that were used to transport them to the release site from the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute.
The move was the culmination of more than a year of continuous care by Aquarium scientists.
This release was a bright moment in a year that has seen significant upheaval and hurdles thanks to the pandemic, says Dr. Anna George, the Aquarium’s vice president of conservation science and education.
“This has been an exceptionally challenging year,” George says. “That said, we’ve still been able to keep up with most of our active conservation and research programs. While we’ve had to adapt most of our protocols, from number of people in a field truck to moving conferences online, we’re figuring out new ways to accomplish our mission.”
With a potential life span of up to 150 years, the little fish could eventually grow to 9 feet and tip the scales at 300 pounds.
Usually, Lake Sturgeon spend several months in human care before being released. By that time, they are about 6 inches. The fish released, however, were larger thanks to an additional year spent in human care. This extra time was to ensure they were large enough to safely draw their blood as part of a study designed to examine their genetic health.
Lake Sturgeon once thrived in the Tennessee River, and still look similar to their ancestors who swam with dinosaurs, earning them the scientific distinction as “living fossils.”
The fish that entered the river recently are the most recent “graduates” of a 22-year program to restore the species to the Tennessee and other waters from which it had all but disappeared in the latter half of the 20th century.
For more information about the work of the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute, visit tnaqua.org/conserve/