Fish River is a
river in
Baldwin County,
Alabama
(We dare defend our rights)
, anthem = "Alabama"
, image_map = Alabama in United States.svg
, seat = Montgomery
, LargestCity = Huntsville
, LargestCounty = Baldwin County
, LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham
, area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...
. It originates at , near
Stapleton, and discharges into Weeks Bay at in
Magnolia Springs.
It was named by the original
French colonists as the Riviere Aux Poissons,
which can be translated into
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
as Fish River. The river runs through mostly rural areas but is traversed by
US Highway 31,
Interstate 10 and
US Highway 90
U.S. Route 90 or U.S. Highway 90 (US 90) is an east–west major United States highway in the Southern United States. Despite the "0" in its route number, US 90 never was a full coast-to-coast route. With the exception of a short-lived ...
.
The Wiese Family Nature Preserve, owned by the Weeks Bay Foundation, extends along the northernmost portion of the river and protects the habitat along the entire river.
Among the wildlife seen along Fish River are bald eagles. The eagles were wiped out in Alabama but have made a comeback including nests along the river.
Some areas around the river are also noted as roosting areas for
vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
s.
A
pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are several different carnivorous plants which have modified leaves known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of what are considered to be "true" pitcher p ...
bog borders Fish River and boasts 91 species of plants.
Both fresh and saltwater species of fish are found in the river. Freshwater species are found in the upper parts of the river while saltwater fish, namely flounder, redfish and speckled trout, are found closer to
Weeks Bay. Occasionally
grass shrimp
''Palaemonetes'', its common names include glass shrimp, ghost shrimp, feeder shrimp, is a genus of caridean shrimp comprising a geographically diverse group of fresh water, brackish and marine crustaceans. Conventionally, ''Palaemonetes'' incl ...
are found in the river which is considered excellent bait for fishing.
[
Fish River is part of the tidal system associated with ]Mobile Bay
Mobile Bay ( ) is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, lying within the state of Alabama in the United States. Its mouth is formed by the Fort Morgan Peninsula on the eastern side and Dauphin Island, a barrier island on the western side. The ...
. Tidal fluctuations vary between 1 and 1.5 feet.
References
Rivers of Alabama
Rivers of Baldwin County, Alabama
Tributaries of Mobile Bay
{{Alabama-river-stub