Why Do 8 Million Pickled Fish Sit In Louisiana's WWII Bunkers?

If you’d visited a series of bunkers in Louisiana in the early 1940s, you would’ve found weapons. Lots of weapons. Visit it today, and you’ll find yourself wandering among row upon row of pickled fish. It’s a curious makeover for a vast expanse of storage space, one that came to pass thanks to humans’ love of wacky fish and the alleged lack of integrity of Dinwiddie Hall’s floors. This is the origin story of Tulane’s Biodiversity Research Institute, a place where you can find fish that are extinct, fish that nobody’s ever seen alive, and a fish that’s the only known specimen of a deep-sea shark. So, how did all ~8 million of these pickled fish get here, and why? We sat down with TUBRI director Brian Sidlauskas to find out. -- Like what you heard? Get 25% off All Access annual memberships with code SCI25* and start funding independent science journalism today.  *Terms & Conditions: 25% OFF PROMO CODE: SCI25 offer for 1 billing period of an All Access Subscription: Annual paid subscription. New users only. Offer subject to change or cancellation at any time. Subscription auto-renews at full amount unless cancelled. You can cancel at any time. Membership paid subscriptions are only available in Canada, the United States (excluding Puerto Rico and US territories), the United Kingdom, and Australia. Our standard terms & conditions apply.