Written by Sydney Banks

Out of seven species of sturgeon in North America, three call Tennessee home: the pallid, the shovelnose, and the Lake Sturgeon. Of these, the Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) carries the most complicated history with the Southeast’s rivers, and perhaps, the most powerful lesson for the region’s future. 

By the 1960s, the Jurassic-era descendants, which can grow up to eight feet in length, weigh 300 pounds, and have a lifespan of 150 years, had nearly vanished from the Coosa, Tennessee, and Cumberland river systems.

“This occurred from three factors. Number one, there was a commercial fishery in the Tennessee River for sturgeon, and they would take them for their meat and caviar. Number two, water pollution was really bad in our big rivers. Waste treatment plants did not clean the water very well, and if they did, they used chlorine, which is very toxic to aquatic animals. And number three, TVA did not have any environmental standards below its dams,” said Dr. Bernie Kuhadja, an aquatic conservation biologist at the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute. 

But the 1990s marked a turning point before the Lake Sturgeon’s story could end. 

“​​What changed? Number one, Lake Sturgeon are state-listed throughout the Southeast as protected or endangered. Number two, in 1972, we enacted the Clean Water Act, which really cleaned up our big rivers. And number three, in the 1990s, TVA implemented dam improvement programs where they oxygenate the water that’s coming from the bottom of those reservoirs,” Kuhajda added. 

With protections in place, Tennessee’s waters were finally suitable for sturgeon. The state contacted the Wild Rose Hatchery in Wisconsin, which graciously donated 50,000 eggs. Together, TVA and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency stocked them above the Norris Reservoir, marking a brand new beginning for the species. 

Feeling the smooth, slimy skin and bumpy plates of Lake Sturgeon is an experience Tennessee Aquarium visitors know well. But the Aquarium’s relationship with the species extends far beyond display. In 1998, the Tennessee Aquarium Conservation Institute (TNACI) joined the sturgeon’s stirring narrative with other partners in the Southeast Lake Sturgeon Working Group. In 2000, TNACI released the first batch of reared Lake Sturgeon. Since then, the program has worked to raise and return the species to its native rivers. 

In TNACI rearing tanks, small sucker-mouthed fish glide through the tanks like shooting stars, tilting their snouts to the water’s surface as beams of sunlight stream through high windows. For months, biologists and propagation staff have raised these baby Lake Sturgeon with meticulous care. 

“The staff works so hard from June to October,” Kuhajda said. “ I’m really excited for them because putting these sturgeon back in the river is the culmination of all that hard work.” 

On the bank of the Tennessee River on the morning of October 23rd, 2025, that culmination was nothing short of an abundance of joy as TNACI and the surrounding community celebrated the Tennessee Aquarium’s 25th anniversary Lake Sturgeon release. 

Before the big moment, Kuhajda crouched over a blue, plastic tank of fish and offered a few parting words to the species that he has dedicated much of his career to researching. “Alright, little buddies! You are my favorite fishes. I love sturgeon! You’ve been in great hands since June. You’re big and strong now, you guys are ready to go out on your own. So here are some rules: Avoid big catfish, eat a lot of little insects, grow up, find your true love, and have a bunch of babies. Okay, ready? Break!” 

Hixson High School students, teachers, and several wandering bystanders clustered beside reintroduction biologists, excited for their turn to release a baby sturgeon. Media cameras clicked, and choruses of laughter filled the air. Smiles were plastered across the faces of TNACI staff for hours as they assisted the public in guiding the fish into the current. 

“There’s no better way to be invested in a project or protecting the environment than actually getting to put your hands in the water,” said Kathlina Alford, a Hixson High School educator teaching environmental science. “I worked at the Aquarium for 12 years as a fisheries biologist, and I worked on this project. I’ve also talked about it in my classroom for years, and so it’s really fantastic to get to bring the kids to see things that they’ve heard about and get to experience them firsthand. That’s what makes science real and what makes people passionate about protecting what we have.” 

The excitement of release day captures what years of patience and effort have built. But releasing fish is only one step in a much longer journey. For biologists, evidence of independent reproduction is a waiting game.

“In a perfect world,” Kuhajda said, “we would slow down and eventually stop doing releases because the Lake Sturgeon would be reproducing on their own. But with this artificial river of many dam reservoirs, that may not happen. So in the future, we may really slow down in stocking and focus on headstarting local larvae. It might become homegrown sturgeon here in the Southeast. Time will tell.”

 Though the future of sturgeon reproduction is unclear, the undertaking of successful habitat restoration proves what’s possible through the intersection of science, policy, and the public. “Every community, every person, every operation, every construction of new buildings and new roads is potentially an impact on the Tennessee River. How did we all get together and improve the quality of the Tennessee River? It seems overwhelming, but we did it,” Kuhajda said. 

The return of the sturgeon to their home can’t be simply celebrated and forgotten. Their comeback story could be a blueprint for other endangered species, such as the Laurel Dace. 

“Everyone gets excited about a seven-foot, 100-year-old fish,” said Kuhajda. “Not everyone gets excited about a three-inch, three-year-old fish. There’s Western blacknose dace, there’s Tennessee dace, there’s a whole bunch of minnows all around. Why should I care about this one?” 

The difference lies in public impact. Coaxing the success of conservation efforts for any species is a combination of fascination and passion. “If the public does not have an awareness of all the cool stuff under the surface of the water, they’re not going to go to our state and federal politicians to help protect our unique things in Tennessee,” Kuhajda said. 

Restoration of a species takes time, awareness, and cooperation—qualities the effort for the laurel dace will need if the fish is to one day reclaim its streams. “I’ve been doing this a long time, and it is an uphill battle. And if I weren’t an eternal optimist, I would give it up long ago,” said Kuhajda. “But you can spark the imagination of anyone from four to 80 if you talk about all the cool natural stuff we have all around us in the correct way. Get rid of the scientific jargon and don’t talk with any politics. Be truly excited. That’s the best way to do outreach.”

The Lake Sturgeon’s return is an emblem of possibility. Connection, passion, and persistence ensured that a story of loss could be rewritten. With a bit of help from a large community, hope can be found for fish both big and small.

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