General Meeting June 22

Fishes of the Dragon: Hidden Treasures of the Middle Peninsula

Dragon Run, mostly a Bald Cypress-Tupelo swamp, drains into the Piankatank River which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. It is unique because it looks today nearly as it did when John Smith traveled the lower portion in the early 1600s. This makes it a treasure in so many ways including the fish that occur in one of the least disturbed watersheds within the Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic. And nothing shows this better than the Dragon’s fish and aquatic fauna. Whether you are a fisherperson, an amateur naturalist, or a lover of nature, the diversity of fishes in the Dragon will amaze you! Get the Zoom info for the program.

Fishes of the Dragon: Hidden Treasures of the Middle Peninsula

The Friends of Dragon Run (FODR) will present a Zoom program entitled “Fishes of the Dragon: Hidden Treasures of the Middle Peninsula,” by Dr. Eric Hilton on Wednesday, June 22 at 7 pm. The presentation will be held via Zoom. See How to Zoom for instructions on participating with Zoom.

Dragon Run, mostly a Bald Cypress-Tupelo swamp, drains into the Piankatank River which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. It is unique because it looks today nearly as it did when John Smith traveled the lower portion in the early 1600s. This makes it a treasure in so many ways including the fish that occur in one of the least disturbed watersheds within the Chesapeake Bay and the mid-Atlantic. And nothing shows this better than the Dragon’s fish and other aquatic fauna. Whether you are afisherperson, an amateur naturalist, or a lover of nature, the diversity of fishes in the Dragon will amaze you, from sportfish like pickerel, white catfish, largemouth bass, sunfish and bowfin to interesting nongame fish like the tessellated darter, swamp darter, comely shiner, and brook lamprey. As the website hookandbullet states “Fishermen will find a variety of fish in this rich ecosystem. So grab your favorite fly-fishing rod and reel, and head out to Dragon Run.” 

Sixty-five different fishes have been reported from the Piankatank-Dragon Run waters with about half of them occurring within Dragon Run. No one is better equipped to tell us about Dragon Run fishes than Dr. Hilton, a Professor of Fisheries Science at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and William and Mary. For more than 20 years he has been researching all aspects of fish biology from biogeography to genetics.

Most of his attention has been on local species in our coastal waters. Along with teaching duties, grad students, and a wide array of projects on local fishes, he serves on technical committees for the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission. His knowledge of Virginia’s coastal fish will give us all a new appreciation for the fishes in the Dragon, so please join the Zoom general meeting on June 22 at 7 p.m.