Fish collection is research haven

Located among WWII-era bunkers along the Mississippi River near Belle Chasse, La., is the little known Royal D. Suttkus Fish Collection, the largest fish archive in the world. It’s little known because it’s not open to the public. More than 7,000 species, totaling nearly seven million specimens, have been collected and preserved at the collection, part of Tulane University’s Biodiversity Research Institute. Scientists around the world use the Suttkus collection as a center of research on both local fish populations and the environments in which they are found - vital information for understanding changes in the environment and climate through various research, from identifying new species to better understanding ones already known. (Source: New Orleans Advocate 01/01/18)