For many species, the arrival of humans to the neighborhood is usually a portent of bad things to come. The alterations we make to our environment often wreak havoc on the other animals that share those wild spaces with us.

No matter how you slice it, ours is the dominant species on the planet when it comes to shaping the world around us to suit our wants and desires. But that power also can be wielded to enact positive change, and when humans — especially an entire community of them — rally to a species' defense, their impact can be potent.

In this episode, you'll learn about one small Tennessee community's response to learning about the plight of a critically endangered minnow living on a nearby ridge. Like all good neighbors, they came together in defense of this hard luck fish, and the story of how and why that came to happen is the subject of this discussion.

Learn more about the Laurel Dace and the Aquarium's efforts to save it here: https://tnaqua.org/join-give/race-for-the-laurel-dace/

Episode Cast

• Casey Phillips, host/senior communications specialist
• Helaina Gomez, watershed conservation coordinator
• Stephania Motes, former city manager of Spring City, Tennessee

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.

Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. 

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

At the Aquarium, a LOT of work is done by full-time team members, from seeing to the needs of the animals and keeping the lights on to hosting special events and ... yes, podcasting.

During their visit, however, many guests benefit in innumerable ways from the dedicated efforts of hundreds of volunteers. From prepping diet for sharks and watering tropical orchids to hosting underwater educational programs, volunteers make the Aquarium world go round.

In this episode, our volunteer coordinators join a long-time volunteer diver to discuss why folks are so generous with donating their time and effort to the Aquarium and ways you — yes, YOU — can sign up to help out, too.

Learn more about opportunities to volunteer at the Aquarium at tnaqua.org/volunteer/

Episode Cast

• Casey Phillips, senior communications specialist/host
• Darleene Cole, senior program manager of volunteer services
• Claudia Mendez-Marti, volunteer engagement coordinator
• Daniel Backlund, volunteer diver

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.

Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org. 

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. 

As the last kitten-a-day page falls from the calendar, we're taking a moment to look back on the first full year of The Podcast Aquatic and celebrate the many high points for the show.

Of all the topics we've covered this year, though, host Casey is most proud of our (admittedly fairly recent) discussion about how the Aquarium takes pains to ensure it is as accessible to as broad an audience as possible.

Take a listen to this touching discussion as you toast in 2026. The show will be back up and running next week with a new episode to kick off season two!

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.

Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

While we recover from our 50-episode-long first season and get ready to swim into season two in 2026, we're revisiting some of our favorite episodes since our launch back in 2024. This oldie, but certainly a goodie, focuses in on the fascinating and important work being done by our horticulture team.

Episode cast

• Casey Phillips, senior communications specialist/host
• Austin Prater, senior horticulturist
• Jenna Paler, horticulturist II

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.

Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Hard to believe we're 50 episodes deep into The Podcast Aquatic! Listen in as we celebrate this milestone by turning the tables on erstwhile host/wannabe expert Casey Phillips to put him in the hot seat for once!

Episodes we mention that you should check out:

• Doing Science at Aquariums and Zoos: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vbVj21Z9P0griqYMoQ05c?si=DamyzMn1QaGcNwTCNqfkAQ
• Everybody Loves Rays, Man: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6B4aL2FtzWZRBCxE3BX9WQ?si=nj-PyqUBSPe_CEqwZDUvbQ
• Building An Aquarium For Everyone: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5gcXGoJxzrS1zC1qjHMevU?si=VOOYRxwBQOSTcKgNcGFXZw
• Appalachian Animal Mythbusters: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7tzrHG44hMtBkcGuWhbVTz?si=c20f84a0bd0743d3

Check out these other zoo and aquarium podcasts:

• Aquarium of the Podcific (Aquarium of the Pacific): https://open.spotify.com/show/3iItYuGBfh4UsDfWaBSpiC?si=7fccf8cf018f4e3e

• Cincinnati Zoo Tales (Cincinnati Zoo): https://open.spotify.com/show/7dV5yB9Hi4mNbGxsID9MSe?si=63a7720d5d974c57
• Our Herd (Toledo Zoo and Aquarium): https://open.spotify.com/show/4fga076PsppB51wmjhFHhH?si=871812850f974dc8
• Amazing Wildlife (San Diego Zoo): https://open.spotify.com/show/43FIWGkO98EugEu5eyF0s9?si=0697387b3a4b4790

Episode Cast

• Casey Phillips, senior communications specialist/expert on himself
• Rachel Thayer, guest host/assistant curator of fishes

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture.

It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

In the English language, there are few words that convey a sense of finality quite like "extinction." The notion that a species could completely disappear from the planet forever — down to literally the last individual — is incredibly sobering.

But how "final" is extinction? How can scientists be sure that an animal has, in fact, completely disappeared forever?

As sampling and surveying techniques improve and more and more eyes and camera lenses are trained on broader and broader swaths of the planet, supposedly extinct animals like the Coelacanth and Attenborough's Long-beaked Echidna have been rediscovered like Lazarus rising from the grave.

In this quick-hit episode, we pose the question to our resident biologist of how extinction is determined, whether it's reversible and, if so, why bringing an animal back might not be a morally sound path to take.

Learn more about how our intervention saved the critically endangered Laurel Dace from near-certain extinction: https://youtu.be/NPcm_d-PsXk?si=xRy63_gWZ_ktvExF

Episode cast

• Casey Phillips, host, senior communications specialist, certifiably not extinct
• Dr. Bernie Kuhajda, aquatic conservation biologist

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.

Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture.

It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Why are lemurs such messy eaters? Why would a penguin refuse to eat a delicious capelin? If a snake hasn't eaten in three months, should I be concerned?

If you think it's tough to feed your clan, consider the challenge of satiating more than 13,000 animals, all of which have different needs and preferences.

On the eve of the most glutton-y holiday of all, this Thanksgiving-special episode homes in on all the delectably meaty details when it comes to nutrition here at the Tennessee Aquarium.

Check out how many fish penguins can put down in a single sitting (waddling?) before undergoing their annual catastrophic molt: https://youtu.be/LFxelNv7Pwo

Episode cast

• Casey Phillips, host, senior communications specialist, life-long eater
• Dr. Chris Keller, staff veterinarian
• Thom Demas, vice president and chief husbandry & exhibits officer
• Kevin Calhoon, curator of forests

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.

Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture.

It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

When you were a student — assuming you aren't still one — did you ever imagine that your teacher lived at your school? Sometimes, educators can give so much of their time and energy (and occasionally their money) to their craft that it can certainly seem like a school is where they call home.

In reality, many teachers feel hamstrung at having to adapt their methods to their classroom facilities, working around inadequacies or equipment that doesn't quite meet their own needs or those of their students.

What if teachers were invited to help design those same classrooms, though? Wouldn't their input be a valuable asset in the learning process? Wouldn't it ease their frustration and make them more effective at their critically important jobs? As this episode goes live, the Tennessee Aquarium is just one day away from opening a major addition to its downtown Chattanooga campus: The S.T.R.E.A.M. Learning center, supported by UNUM.

This new facility sits next door to the Ocean Journey and River Journey buildings and will act as the hub of the Aquarium's previously decentralized educational efforts. Better still, its design was directly influenced by the educators who will be using it to teach and as a resource for professional development.

In this episode, we discover why we invited teachers to participate in the design process and how their input will impact the Aquarium's long-standing role as an educational resource to so many.

Episode cast

• Casey Phillips, host, senior communications specialist and proud teacher's son/brother-in-law
• Natali Rodgers, director of learning and evaluation
• Rachel Hargis, UNUM corporate social responsibility manager

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.
Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture.It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

All her life, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant was focused on one career ambition: to host a nature series like those that had so stoked her passion for animals early in life.

Decades later, Dr. Rae was an author and host to a hit podcast with a long list of academic achievements to her name. She was content and had come to terms with the thought that she might not be destined to grace the silver screen.

And then NBC came calling with an offer to co-helm one of the most well-respected, storied nature series to lead the revival of a legendary series: Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. Alongside co-host Peter Gros, she has visited wild faces and spaces across the world for Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, which recently began airing its third season in October.

In this episode, Dr. Rae chats about growing up apart from nature but no less entranced by it and her hopes and ambitions as an inspiration to new generations of animal lovers.

Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild airs Saturday mornings on NBC's "The More You Know" programming block. Check local airtimes and other ways to watch at mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-to-watch-mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild

Learn more about Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant's many projects via her website, raewynngrant.com/

Episode cast

• Casey Phillips, host and senior communications specialist
• Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, author, wildlife ecologist, podcast host and co-host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.

Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

There are some animals that don’t deal well with change. Or rather, they seem to somehow avoid being touched by the passage of time like they’re role playing as Peter Pan or Dorian Gray.

These lurkers on the edges of the evolutionary flow are what scientists have catchingly termed “living fossils.” One of the most well-known examples of being adverse-to-change are the lepisosteiformes, the taxonomic order of fishes more commonly known as “gars.”

These toothy-snooted, predominantly freshwater predators have a fearsome appearance but have come to be much beloved. This episode arrives concurrent with the annual celebration known as “Gar Week.” This weeklong social media event is the brainchild of the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation and offers an opportunity for the citizens of Earth to pay homage to these evolutionarily stubborn fishes.

This episode features special guest Dr. Solomon David, a well-known, socially media savvy gar expert, researcher and aquatic ecology professor from the University of Minnesota. Learn more about him at solomondavid.net/

[Check out Dr. David’s gar-geous photos and videos via his Instagram (instagram.com/solomon.r.david/) and TikTok (tiktok.com/@solomonrdavid).]

Episode cast

• Casey Phillips, host/senior communications specialist/podcast GARgoyle
• Dr. Solomon David, assistant professor, aquatic ecologist and principal investigator at GarLab (University of Minnesota)
• Dr. Bernie Kuhajda, aquatic conservation biologist (Tennessee Aquarium)

The Podcast Aquatic is made possible by support from The Tennessee Conservationist, the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks.

Printed sustainably on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with UV ink, each issue is filled with fascinating stories about Tennessee’s native species, rich history, and unique culture. It’s also your guide to exploring state parks and planning your next outdoor adventure.

Become a Tennessee Conservationist and subscribe at tnconservationist.org.

Join other conservation enthusiasts and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.