Returned to Appalachia: Our Baby Brookies Are Home Again!

Every spring, a team of conservation scientists from the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute treks deep into mountainous backwoods toting precious cargo: water-filled bags containing hundreds of baby Southern Appalachian Brook Trout bound for reintroduction to the wild. Recently, this annual tradition saw more than 350 baby trout reintroduced to a pristine stream flowing through Cherokee National Forest east of Chattanooga. These juveniles of Tennessee’s only native trout species are the byproduct of months of care and attention at the institute, where they are spawned each fall. The Aquarium is now entering its second decade contributing to this effort is partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, U.S. Fish and Wildlife and Trout Unlimited.