The reason that Virginia contains such a high level of diversity within its freshwater fish species are due to the fact that Virginia is home to a variety of different environments for the fish to exist in. The high elevations of the Appalachian Mountains contrasts with the low elevation of Virginia’s Coastal Plain, and the variety of environments within the state have resulted in the fish of Virginia to adapt in various way to there environments. An infographic could be created that displays various fish species from Virginia, such as the predator species that live in both the reservoirs of the Piedmont region and the limestone springs of the Blue Ridge Mountains, for instance.
Furthermore, an understanding of the relationship between the water within Virginia and the fish that live within those waterways is essential to understanding the biology of those fish species. In order to identify the species of fish in Virginia, there are a variety of different physical features of the fish that should be examined. For instance, when considering fish like bass species, it is easy to consider features like color or size of the fish.
How to Identify Freshwater Fish in Virginia
However, closer inspection of the mouth of the fish is warranted to identify the species of bass. For instance, largemouth bass have a jaw that extends past the eye of the bass, which allows the bass to gulp down large prey fish. Smallmouth bass, in contrast, have a jaw that ends at the eye of the bass, which is reflective of the habitat of the New River in which the smallmouth bass live.
Fish species like panfish are also challenging to identify, but there are some features that can reveal to anglers the species of panfish that are present in the waterways of Virginia. For instance, both bluegill and redear sunfish live in the same environments, but to identify the species, anglers should count the dorsal fins of the fish, as well as the color of the ear flap of the fish. When observing a fish species, anglers may think that it is a bluegill fish, but the only way to confirm the species is to count the dorsal spines of the fish.
Additionally, counting the dorsal fins of the fish can help to indicate the health of the pond in which the fish lives. Some of the fish species that live in Virginia are unique to the state and are not found anywhere else on earth. For instance, the Roanoke bass is found only in the Roanoke River and its tributaries, and the fish is a relic of the geological isolation that created the watershed.
Appalachian darter fish species are also among the unique fish species of Virginia. Furthermore, the Appalachian darter fish are very sensitive to water quality. Therefore, the presence of this species within a stream indicate that the stream is healthy.
The temperature of the water in which the fish live in Virginia has a primary influence over the behavior of those fish species. Consequently, monitoring the water temperature allows anglers to fish for the fish species at the appropriate time of year. For instance, mountain streams tend to be colder than valley rivers during the spring months, so anglers must account for these differences in the state.
For instance, crappie fish live in the deeper waters of Virginia lakes during their spring spawning season, while anglers catch muskie fish best during the fall when the water temperatures in Virginia begin to decrease. The habitat of the fish species that live in Virginia also has a major influence upon the fishing gear that must be used to catch those fish. For instance, flathead catfish live in the deeper channels of rivers throughout the state and are ambush predators that use live bait to catch prey fish.
Brook trout, in contrast, live in the high-elevation streams of the Appalachian Mountains and often chase after flies or worms. Understanding the different features and species of fish that live in Virginia allows anglers to fully understand the complex web of the river systems of Virginia. For instance, understanding that one of the darter species of Virginia is the host species for an endangered mussel species indicates that the river ecosystem is complex.
Consequently, to understand the fish of Virginia, anglers should of examine the jaw of the fish, count the spines of the fish, and recognize the diversity of the freshwater fish that live in the state’s rivers and lakes.
