John Smith Trail

Discover Wildlife

Captain Smith noted the abundant wildlife that amazed the early European explorers of the Chesapeake region. In the last 400 years, many of these wildlife populations have been severely impacted by pollution and habitat destruction. Here’s an update, and some interesting facts, on wildlife in the James:

Bald Eagles- after becoming locally extinct in the 1970s, today 120 pairs breed on the James River due to protection from poaching and banning of DDT. Pairs of bald eagles build a large nest (up to 2 tons of sticks!) that they will reuse over many years.

Striped Bass- Through careful fisheries management, striped bass population has thoroughly recovered.  The Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries (such as the James) are the primary spawning and nursery area for 70-90% of Atlantic stocks of striped bass. These fish can live 30 years and grow over 100 lbs.

American Shad-American shad in the James are only 10% of modern day high. Continued removal of fish blockages and improvement of water quality are necessary to restore the historic shad run. During an average life of five years at sea, the American shad may migrate more than 12,000 miles.

Oysters-Over harvesting, poor water quality and disease have devastated oysters and very little recovery has occurred. The tidal James was once covered in some of the most productive oyster beds in the country. An adult oyster filters 50 gallons of water a day making them an essential component for water quality.

Atlantic Sturgeon – Colonists reported huge schools leaping from the James and referred to the fish as a navigation hazard. After a peak harvest of 800,000 lbs. of sturgeon in Virginia in 1890, population declined precipitously due to overharvesting. The species has been unable to recover due to poor water quality and deaths related to ship-strikes, dredging operations, and by-catch. The James River is unique in that recently a remnant population of breeding adults has been verified. The sturgeon’s life history and habitat requirements are being studied so that the species can be protected. Sturgeons have been here on earth since the Cretaceous period more than 120 million years ago, can live 60 years, and can grow up to 14 ft. long. They always return to their home river to spawn. Sturgeon roe (eggs) and flesh are credited with helping the colonists at Jamestown survive.

See JRA’s State of the James Report
Discover other James River Wildlife

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