Fisherman Island is the southernmost island on the

Delmarva Peninsula The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a large peninsula and proposed state on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the vast majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore regions of Maryland and Virginia ...

chain of

barrier island Barrier islands are coastal landforms and a type of Dune, dune system that are exceptionally flat or lumpy areas of sand that form by wave and tidal action parallel to the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything fro ...

s. Located at the entrance to the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

, the island is subject to great changes in its landscape from waves and runoff. It first formed about 200 to 250 years ago. Gun batteries were emplaced on the island to defend Chesapeake Bay in both world wars; these were part of

Fort John Custis Colonel John Custis IV (August 1678 – November 22, 1749) was an American planter, politician, government official and military officer who sat in the House of Burgesses from 1705 to 1706 and 1718 to 1719, representing the electoral constitue ...

during World War II. The

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

used Fisherman Island from 1949 to 1969. Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge is located near the

United States Fish and Wildlife Service The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS or FWS) is an agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats. The mission of the agency is "working with othe ...

Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge The Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife refuge located in Northampton County, Virginia, at the southern end of the Eastern Shore and near the tip of the Delmarva Peninsula. It is managed by the United States Fish and ...

, and is cut in half by the presence of

U.S. Highway 13 U.S. Route 13 (US 13) is a north–south United States Numbered Highways, U.S. highway established in 1926 that runs for from Interstate 95 (I-95) just north of Fayetteville, North Carolina to U.S. Route 1 in Pennsylvania, US 1 in the northe ...

and the

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel Chesapeake often refers to: *Chesapeake people, a Native American tribe also known as the Chesepian * The Chesapeake, a.k.a. Chesapeake Bay *Delmarva Peninsula, also known as the Chesapeake Peninsula Chesapeake may also refer to: Populated plac ...

. The refuge is closed to the public. The island is the habitat to migratory waterfowl, shorebirds, and nesting waterbirds. In September 2003, the island was almost entirely flooded by

Hurricane Isabel Hurricane Isabel was the strongest Atlantic hurricane since Mitch, and the deadliest, costliest, and most intense hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. Hurricane Isabel was also the strongest hurricane in the open waters of the Atlanti ...

References

External links

Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge
- official site
Landscape Modifications by Hurricane Isabel, Fisherman Island, Virginia
Barrier islands of Virginia Protected areas of Northampton County, Virginia National Wildlife Refuges in Virginia Protected areas established in 1973 1973 establishments in Virginia Islands of Northampton County, Virginia {{NorthamptonCountyVA-geo-stub