In the fresh and brackish waters of the James, Chickahominy, Pamunkey, Mattaponi and Rappahannock rivers in Virginia, 18 species of marine fishes ( exclusive of anadromous and catadromus forms) have been collected. Gunter\u27s (1942) exhaustive survey of the occurrence of Atlantic coast marine fishes in fresh water is here amplified for the most important tidal rivers of Virginia.
Since 1949 intensive collecting has been done in brackish and tidal fresh waters of the Pamunkey and Rappahannock rivers, and numerous. collections have been made in the James, Chickahominy, and Mattaponi

Massman, William H.

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W&M ScholarWorks VIMS Articles 1-1954 Marine Fishes in Fresh and Brackish Waters of Virginia Rivers William H. Massman Virginia Fisheries Laboratory Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsarticles  Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons Recommended Citation Massman, William H., "Marine Fishes in Fresh and Brackish Waters of Virginia Rivers" (1954). VIMS Articles. 1765. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsarticles/1765 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in VIMS Articles by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact scholarworks@wm.edu. MARINE FISHES IN FRESH AND BRACKISH W1\TERS OF VIRGINIA RIVERSt WILLIAM H. MASSMAN Virpinia Fisheries Labo1·atory, Gloucester Point, Virginia T 11 the fresh and brackish waters of the Tames, Chid::ahominy, Panrnnkey, I\tf attaponi anci Rap-pahannock rivers in Virginia, 18 species of ma-rine fishes ( exclusive of anaclromous and cata-dromotts forms) have been collected. Gunter's ( 1942) exhaustive survey of the occurrence of J\tlantic coast marine fishes in fresh water is here amplified for the most important tidal rivers of Virginia. ' Contributions from the Vil'ginia Fisheries Laboratory, Nn. 47. Since 1949 intensive collecting has been done in brackish and tidal fresh waters of the Pammr key and Rappahannock rivers, and numerous. co • · lections have been made in the James, Ch1cka-hominy, and I\fattaponi. The sampl~s include 261 collected by minnow seine, 39 by gill net, 12 by rotenone and 81 by surface trawl (1'.f~s~.mann. Ladd, and McCutcheon 1952) · In ~dditton more than 845 plankton net samples, usmg nets one meter in diameter at the mouth, were made both 7G WILLIAM H. MASS~lAN Ecology, Vol. 35, No. 1 at the surface and near the bottom. Collections were made from February to October inclusive, but summer collecting was most intensive. For convenience in summarizing the data, the rivers were divided into five-mile intervals, and all col-lections in each interval were lumped. No ma-rine fishes have been taken in these rivers and their tributary creeks beyond the limits of tidal excursion. Since the boundary of brackish and fresh waters oscillates with the tide, moving one or two miles upstream with the flood and one or two miles downstream with the ebb, the average loca-tion of this boundary has been used. Extremes in rainfall, drought, and wind may displace this boundary by considerable distances. Collections were not made under these extreme conditions. The marine species taken in brackish (salinity of five parts per thousand or less) and fresh water are listed in Figure 1. The greatest dis-tance in nautical miles upriver at which marine fishes were captured, the number of rivers in which they have been collected, and the number of species taken at varying distances upriver from brackish water are indicated. The distances up-river from Chesapeake Day to the average loca-tion of the boundary of brackish and fresh water and the river length from this boundary to the head of the tide are listed in Table I. TAnLE I. The dista11ce upriver from Chesapeake Day to the location of the average boundary between bracltish and fresh water, and the length of the tidal freshwater section for I he five 111ajor tidal rivers in V irgi11ia. Hivcr .Jnml's ............ Chickahorniny .... l'amunkey ........ Mattaponi ........ Happahannock .... Distance upriver from Chesapeake Bay to location cf average boundary between brackish and fresh water (Nautical miles) :lO * :m ;l() 4ii *A tributary of th~ ,Tames Hivrr. Distance from the an,rage boundary between fresh and brackish w11ter to tlie head of tidal water (Nautical miles) Mi :20 .l() ··-di) .:o ANNOTATED LIST OF MARfNE FISHES Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe), Menhaden.-Found in all five rivers, young menhaden were abundant in fresh waters of the Rappahannock River, where they were captured 35 miles upriver from brackish water. Adults have not been col-lected in fresh waters. Anchoa mil chilli mitchilli (Valenciennes), Mitcl1ill's anchovy.-Numerous in all rivers, some anchovies were captured 40 miles upstream from brackish water. Adults, young, and postlarvae were abundant in surface trawl collections and some were taken by seine. A nclzoa lzepsetus hepsetus ( Donaterre), An-chovy.-A single specimen was obtained from brackish waters in the Mattaponi River. Stro11gylltra marina (vValbaum), Atlantic needlefish.-Commonly found in fresh waters, several needlefish were collected 40 miles up-stream from brackish water. Two were taken at the head of the tide in the Pamunkey River. Most of the specimens were adults. It is possible that the species sometimes spawns in fresh water, for eggs were running freely from a female taken in the Chickahominy River 10 miles above brad:-ish water on l\fay 9, 1952. A specimen 23 111111. in length was caught in the Pamunkey. Fzmdulus majalis ( Walbaum), Striped killifish. --A few striped killifish were found in brackish waters of the Pamunkey River. The species is abundant in more; saline waters nearer the river mouths. Fwululus heteroclitus macro le pid otus (\Val-baum), Mummichog.-The . rnt11111nicl1og was often captured in fresh water in the James and Rappahannock rivers and occa~ionally taken in the Pamunkey and Mattapom. Adults were taken 45 miles upstream from brackish water. Numbers were observed spawning in a shallow cove 35 miles upriver from brackish water in the Rappahannock River, August 2, 195L Cvprinodon variegatus ( Laccpede), Variegated 111in;1ow.-Many were captured in a. tidal creek of the Rappahannock River where the salinity ,vas less than five parts per thousand. 'M enid£a Jllcnidia (Linnaeus), Atlantic silver-side.-Small m1111bers of adult Atlantic silversicles were taken as far as 30 miles upriver from brack-ish water in the James, Rappahannock, and Pa-u1tmkey rivers. In salt . water near the river nHJttths this species is common. January, 1954 i\fr\RINE FISHES IN FRESH AND BRACKISH WATERS OF VIRGINIA RIVERS 77 NAUTICAL MILES UPRIVER SPECIES 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 FUNDULUS HETEROCLITUS MENIDIA BERYLLINA ANCHOA MITCHI LLI STRONGYLURA MARI NA TRINECTES MACULATUS BREVOORTIA TYRANNUS MENIDIA MENIDIA LEIOSTOMUS XANTHURUS , MICROPOGON UNDULATUS CYNOSCION NEBULOSUS BAIRDIELLA CHRYSURA PARALICHTHYS DENTATUS CYNOSCION REGALIS G0810SOMA BOSCI ANCHOA HEPSETUS CYPRINODON VARIEGATUS FUNOULUS MAJALIS PEPRI_LUS ALEPIDOTUS . ·. 4 5 5 5 :::c 4 0 :::c z 5 3 w ~ 3 ~ <t 0 l-a:: 3 1J.. w a:: 4 en w a:: 3 I ~ a:: CJ) 2 z IJ.. w 0 ~ I 2 a:: 0 w w m a. ~ (/) :::, z NUMBER OF SPECIES TAKEN 18 14 11 11 10 10 7 6 5 2 0 FrG. 1. Greatest distance upriver from the average boundary of brackish and fresh waters that marine fishes have been taken in five Virginia rivers. The boundary is shown by a vertical, dashed line. The left hand margin represents a mean salinity of 5 parts per thousand. M enidia beryllina (Cope), Glassy silversicle.-r;enerally considered a marine species, glassy sil-versides were collected as much as 45 miles up-river from brackish water in the Rappahannock River. Adults and young were cornmon in the five rivers. Glassy silversicles appear to be more abundant in fresh, tidal water than in salt water downstream. Pe Jirilus alej1idotus ( Li1111aet1s), Ha rvestfish.-Small nmnbers of Iia{·vestfish were trawled in b_rackish waters of the Pamunkey all(\ l\ I attaponi nvers. Cynosciol! regal is ( Bloch aud Schneider), Cray squeteague.-Srnall specimens were traw!e(l five miles above brackish water in the Panmnkey River. C3111osciol! neb11los11s ( CuYier ancl Valcn-ciennes), Spotted squeteague.-N ot listed by Gun-ter (1942) in fresh water, ym111g spotted sque-teague were obtained in surface trawl hauls from fresh water in the Rappahannock River. Of eleven specimens captured, two were taken 25 miles above brackish water. !Jairdiella chns11ra ( Lacepccle) .' Silver perch.-A few young silver perch have been taken in the Pannmkey and lbppaha11110ck rivers at distances up to 15 miles above brackish waters. Lciosto/lllfS .ra11t!11tr1rs (Lacepcrle), Spot.-. Young have been captmed in the Pann111key, iVIat-taprmi, and Happaha111102k rivers. Although spot were more almmlant near brackish waters. a few were found 25 miles farther upstream. Young spot collected in salt water ( salinity 20 parts per thousand) were maintained in a laboratory tank of fresh tap water for a period of one lllonth with 110 apparent ill effects. Micro/1ogon u11dulat11s (Li1111aeus)·, ;\tlantic croaker.---Small croakers were founcl in fom riv-78 ers during the spring months. Three small indi-viduals less than 30 mm. in length were found 25 miles above brackish waters, but most were obtained closer to the sea. Recent work by Dex-ter Haven of the Virginia Fisheries Laboratory is establishing the importance of tidal estuaries as a croaker nursery ground. Gobiosonia bosci ( Lacepecle), Naked go by.-Several gobies were collected in minnow seine samples up to five miles above brackish water in the Pa1111111key River. Paralichthys dentatus (Linnaeus), Summer flouncler.-A single specimen was seined in the Pamunkey River five miles upriver from brackish water. Trinectes maculatus ( Bloch and Schneider), Hogchoker.-1-Iogchokers were common in the James, Pamunkey, Mattaponi, and Rappahannock rivers. Some were found 40 miles beyond brad:-ish water. These fish were mostly small. Su:MMARY AND CONCLUSIONS The transition from salt to fresh water in Vir-ginia tidal estuaries is not abrupt. It is possible that very slight amounts of salt of marine origin may be present up to the head of tide, hut these amounts become increasingly difficult to detect by conventional methods at increasing distances up-stream. Small amounts of salt water may become detached from the main bocly of salt water and moved upriver hy eddies (Donal<l vV. Pritchard, personal communication). i\ series of salinity samples from the "fresh" tidal waters titrated with silver nitrate has indicated that salinities die! not decline steadily until they reached the norrnal salt content of fresh water, hut seemed to show small Ecology, Vol. 35, No. 1 erratic differences. tfost of the salinities reported here were obtained by hydrometer readings, which cannot be considered accurate below one part per thousand. It is possible, therefore, that slight traces of salt may be responsible for the ability of some marine species to survive in waters con-sidered to be "fresh." Some marine species are able to adjust them: selves to life in "fresh" water. The degree ot adJ' ustment varies arnon« the different species and b • l age groups. In the rive Virgiuia rivers cons1c -creel, the marine fishes may be dividecl into thr~e general groups: ( 1) fishes con11nonly found. 111 fresh water both as young and adults, inclmhng mummichog, glassy silverside, Atlantic needlefis)1, and Mitchill's anchovy; (2) fishes that occur in fresh water usually only as young, including :1og~ choker menhaden sr)ot Atlantic croaker, silver ' ( ' ' . . . •:lol perch, .and gray sc1ueteague;, (_3) fi~he~ 1 ar ee~ taken either as young or adults, mcludmg spo~t · · ·1 le sc1ueteague, winter flounder, Atlantic s1 verstc ' ancl nakecl gohy. To this last category might be adclecl the fours pine stickleback, A pelt es qua~l-rarns (Mitchill), reported by Raney ( 1950) !11 fresh waters of the Rappahannock River. REFERENCES Gunter, Gordon. 1942. A list of the fishes of the main~ land of North and Middle America recorded fron both fresh water and sea water. Amer. Mid. Nat., 28: 305-326. Massmann, William H., Ernest C. Ladd, and He~r! N. Mccutcheon. 1952. A surface trawl for samp!in,, young fishes in tidal rivers. Trans. 17th N. Amer. Wildlife Con.: 386-392. Raney, Edward C. 1950. Freshwater fishes. /JI: The James River Basin, Past, Present, and Future. Va, Aca<l. Sci., Richmm1cl, Virginia, pp. 151-194. 

Marine Fishes in Fresh and Brackish Waters of Virginia Rivers

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Marine Fishes in Fresh and Brackish Waters of Virginia Rivers

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