The commercial fishery of Virginia is one of the most diverse in the United States. Three principal zones exist: the Atlantic Ocean, Chesapeake Bay, and the major rivers. Finfish, shellfish, and crabs are harvested in each zone. Within the finfishes, several distinct groups are taken.: industrial fish, food fish, and fish for bait. For each group there are migratory, anadromous, and resident species. Within these there are freshwater, brackish, and marine species. The shellfish and crab group make up another category of high value and diverse life forms. The purpose of this report is to summarize a part of the diversity. The James, York, and Rappahannock rivers (Fig. 1) are treated in detail to determine population trends and fluctuations of the principal commercial species
