The purpose of this text is to provide a general reference text for living Chesapeake Bay fishes collected for use in scientific research, public aquariums, aquarium hobby, and environmental educational purposes.

The observations were conducted using laboratory seawater research aquariums and public environmental education aquarium systems at university, government and educational institutions. Exemplar institutions include the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences (VIMS) in the Chesapeake Bay, the Nova Southeastern University Oceanographic Research Center in South Florida, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Environmental Research Laboratory in Gulf Breeze, Florida, The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News, Virginia, North Carolina Aquarium in Manteo, North Carolina, The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland. Lastly, the aquarium hobby observations were made where and when the opportunity presented itself with small specimens collected for small scale experimental laboratory and home aquariums.

There are more than 365 species of fish that inhabit the Chesapeake Bay. Of these, there are 158 fish species described in this text that have been subject to aquarium observations. These species represent marine, estuarine, and freshwater fish species. As a result, they have their own unique aquarium keeping requirements. With that in mind, this text attempts to provide the initial guidance for those who will keep live local fishes under the best captive conditions possible. This text does not attempt to discuss the basics of aquarium keeping and maintenance. There are numerous published textbooks, magazines, manuals, periodicals, and Web sites devoted to this purpose. Chesapeake Bay Aquarium Fishes focuses only on individual fish species with emphasis on natural biology and general aquarium keeping. The general aquarium keeping information is based upon laboratory, museum, and hobby aquarium observations dating as far back as 1974.