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Virginia's fishes are rich in diversity and reflect the long history and varied habitat of the state. Cold- and warmwater streams, estuaries, farm and mill ponds, lakes, reservoirs, springs, and swamps support a variety of fishes from the smallest darter to the mammoth Atlantic sturgeon. Virginia's inland waters host more than 200 freshwater fish taxa and are carried by 10 major drainages to the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, as well as to the Atlantic Ocean. Freshwater Fishes of Virginia describes 210 species and 20 subspecies-native and introduced-divided among 24 families. The authors use early and current literature, museum records, recent surveys, and distributional data from more than 10,000 collections to compile the most comprehensive information ever assembled of Virginia's freshwater ichthyofauna.

A major purpose of Freshwater Fishes of Virginia is to provide a means to accurately identify all species of freshwater fishes of Virginia.

The book includes:

* 210 species and 20 subspecies divided among 24 families
* native and introduced species
* common formats with systematics, description, comparison, biology, habitat and distribution
* 83 figures
* 192 distribution maps
* 322 black and white photographs
* 159 color photographs
* extensive index (25 pages), glossary (17 pages), and bibliography (96 pages)

Conservation is an underlying theme of this book. Within Virginia, 45 species or subspecies are on the decline. The authors hope that this exhaustive treatment of the biology, habitat, and distribution of Virginia's fishes will contribute to their restoration and protection.