The Podcast Aquatic

Before the advent of photography and — obviously — videography, naturalists had no choice but to rely on their artistic skills if they wanted to preserve a visual record of their work.

Whether an impromptu sketch or a laboriously detailed drawing or painting, scientific illustrations were a vital means of sharing scientific research and observations with the public. They were also, in many cases, absolutely beautiful works in their own right.

In this episode of the show, we connect with a modern-day scientific illustrating savant, Joe Tomelleri, who is renowned the world over for this exactingly detailed depictions of freshwater fish. Using nothing but his skill, carefully preserved specimens and a set of colored pencils, he toils for dozens of hours to produce a single image that replicates identifiable characteristics down, without exaggeration, to individual scales.

To learn more about Joe's work or to purchase a print, visit his website at https://www.americanfishes.com

Watch a video documenting Joe and Dr. Bernie Kuhajda's work to study and document Mexican trout species at https://youtu.be/IgLvcImJW1I?si=12R290rrmZr3_rbu

[The drawing of a Pumpkinseed used as this episode's art is by — and used courtesy of — Joe Tomelleri.]

Episode Cast

• Casey Phillips, host/senior communications specialist
• Joe Tomelleri, scientific illustrator
• 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.

While exploring the galleries of the River Journey and OceanJourney buildings, artwork might not be what you’re focusing on during a visit to the Tennessee Aquarium, but maybe you should take a beat to give it some love.

Stylized depictions of our living collection are all over campus courtesy of a pair of extremely talented and industrious graphic designers.

In this episode — the first of a two-part mini-series — we’ll explore the overlap between art and science, learn about the role our graphic designers play in achieving our mission and how they heck they translate the recognizable features of an animal like an Epaulette Shark into a stylized illustration.

Episode Cast

• Casey Phillips, host, senior communications specialist,certified non-artist
• Aimee Swartz, graphic designer
• Mike Shuleva, graphic designer

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.

For many people, a visit to a national park is like making a pilgrimage, a chance to commune with nature in a setting of remarkable beauty and peace.

The United States is a big country, though, and even with more than 430 designated national parks, every region didn't get an equal share of the spoils. Although spectacular examples exist, such as the Great Smoky Mountains, Acadia and Everglades, only about 20% of national parks are east of the Mississippi.

If you live far from a national park and want to seek solace in nature closer to home, your best bet is probably one of the almost 10,000 state parks. These sites are distributed far more evenly throughout the country and enshrine vistas every bit as beautiful and grandiose as those in national parks. Even better, there's probably one (or several) just around the corner from wherever you happen to be listening.

In this episode, the Studio Dive Cage goes on the road to Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park about an hour west of Chattanooga. There, guests from The Tennessee Conservationist — the official magazine of Tennessee State Parks — and the park discuss the misnomer that gave Old Stone Fort its name, why the nearby Duck River is so biologically rich, the role state parks play in democratizing access to nature and the future of Tennessee state parks.

For more information about or to subscribe to The Tennessee Conservationist, visit https://www.tnconservationist.org

Learn more about Tennessee's State Parks at https://www.tnstateparks.com

Episode cast

• Casey Phillips, host/senior communications specialist/bona fide state park fan
• Whit Gardner, marketing and subscription manager (The Tennessee Conservationist)
• Keith Wimberley, park manager (Old Stone Fort State Archaeological Park)

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.

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.