Field Guide

Explore the Field Guide to learn about more than 350 species of birds, fish, insects, algae, invertebrates, mammals, plants, reptiles and amphibians that live in the Chesapeake Bay region.

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Showing: 10 of 30

Alewife

Alosa pseudoharengus

Also known as the big-eye or branch herring, the alewife is a thin, silver fish with a single dark shoulder spot located behind its head.

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American Eel

Anguilla rostrata

The American eel is a smooth, snake-like fish that lives in rivers, streams and other freshwater areas throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

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American Halfbeak

Hyporhamphus meeki

The American halfbeak is a long, skinny fish that visits the Chesapeake Bay’s shallow waters in summer and autumn.

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American Shad

Alosa sapidissima

Also known as white shad, the American shad is a thin river herring and visits the Chesapeake Bay each spring to spawn in freshwater rivers and streams.

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Atlantic Croaker

Micropogonias undulatus

The Atlantic croaker is a silvery-pink fish that makes a loud “croaking” sound. It visits the Chesapeake Bay from spring through autumn.

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Atlantic Menhaden

Brevoortia tyrannus

The Atlantic menhaden is a silvery-blue herring with dark spots on the sides. Large schools of menhaden visit the Chesapeake Bay from spring through autumn.

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Atlantic Needlefish

Strongylura marina

The Atlantic needlefish is a skinny, silvery fish with long, tooth-filled jaws. It lives in the Chesapeake Bay’s shallow waters from spring through autumn.

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Atlantic Sturgeon

Acipenser oxyrhynchus

The Atlantic sturgeon is a bony, ancient-looking fish that visits Virginia's James and York rivers to spawn. Sturgeons are the largest fish native to the Chesapeake Bay and was once found throughout the Bay and its freshwater rivers, but is now very rare.

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Black Drum

Pogonias cromis

The black drum is a silvery-gray, bottom-dwelling fish that visits the Chesapeake Bay from spring through autumn. It is one of the largest fish in the Bay.

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Black Sea Bass

Centropristis striata

The black sea bass is a striking, bluish-black fish that visits the lower Chesapeake Bay from spring through autumn.

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