Fish of

Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

2591 Whitehall Neck Road

Smyrna, Delaware 19977

302-653-9345

Compiled by

Marian Johnson-Pohlman

Outdoor Recreation Planner

&

James D. Hewes

Recreation Aid

December 1995
Fish of Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

One of the most overlooked groups of animals on the refuge is the many species of fish which inhabit the

area year round. Normally visitors don’t have a chance to see these interesting animals unless they are

with a school group. However, the fish found at Bombay Hook play a very important role to many other

species.

The brackish (mixture of fresh and salt water) pool located next to the boardwalk trail is the home of

several species of killifish. This group of fish is small in size, normally not larger than 5 inches. The most

common species observed are mummichogs, banded killifish, and sheepshead minnow. During the winter

months they tend to stay in the deeper areas, sometimes buried in the mud. Another small fish occasionally found is the eastern mosquitofish. Both the mosquitofish and killifish play an important role for

visitors at the refuge, their main source of food being mosquito larvae! Another important value is they

are a major food source for wading birds (egrets) and raccoons. You can usually see these fish in large

schools when crossing the small bridge on the trail.

Finis Pool, a freshwater impoundment, offers another very interesting fish species, the eastern mudminnow.

Reaching a whopping 4 inches, the mudminnow is capable of surviving in waters with very little oxygen

for long periods of time by burying itself in mud for several weeks if needed. They are omnivorous and

will jump out of the water to catch insects sitting on plant leaves. Killifish and occasional sunfish can also

be found in this area, especially near the water-control structure by the turn-around.

For those friends who didn’t know, the pond at the corner of Finis Road and the road leading to the Allee

House is a naturally self-contained freshwater pond which is the home of pumpkin seed (sunfish) and

brown bullhead catfish. The abundance of fish make this pond a very good spot to observe herons, egrets,

and the occasional belted kingfisher feeding. Fish eggs attached to the legs of wading birds is the most

likely way the recent fish population was established in the pond. With the installation of a floating dock,

observation of these beautifully colored fish is now even easier.

The salt marsh is home to many species of fish. Many fish such as striped bass (rockfish) use the marshes

as a nursery for young fish. The fish found in these waters serve as an important food source for many

birds. Egrets and herons along with some of the diving ducks like mergansers feed on small fish. These

include killifish, Atlantic silversides, threespine sticklebacks, and juvenile white perch and striped bass.

Adult striped bass, white perch and gizzard shad are important for our nesting bald eagles and their

young, ospreys, raccoons and river otters.

Although recreational fishing access from the refuge itself is prohibited, visitors can still enjoy “fish watching”

and “bird watching” together. If you’re interested in learning more about the fish of Delaware, you can

purchase a copy of Delaware’s Freshwater and Brackish Water Fishes: A Popular Account at the Refuge

Store. So next time you come birding don’t forget to stop along the trails and look into another world just

waiting to be discovered.
Fish List for Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge

Freshwater - common name Scientific Name

Pumpkin seed Lepomis gibbosus

Bluegill Lepomis macrochirus

Bluespotted sunfish Enneacanthus gloriosus

Banded sunfish Enneacanthus obesus

Golden shiner Notemigonus crysolleucas

Eastern mudminnow Umbra pygmaea

American eel Anguilla rostrata

Common carp Cyprinus carpio

Brown bullhead Ictalurus nebulosus

White perch Morone americana

Brackish / Salt marsh - common name Scientific Name

White perch Morone americana

Striped bass Morone saxatilis

American eel Anquilla rostrata

Mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus

Spotfin killifish Fundulus luciae

Sheepshead minnow Cyprinodon variegatus

Atlantic silverside Menidia menidia

Eastern mosquitofish Gambusia holbrooki

Threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

Gizzard shad Dorosoma cepedianum

Banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus

Rainwater killifish Lucania parva
Fish List for the Delaware Bay

COMMON NAME SCIENTIFIC NAME

Blueback herring Alosa aestivalis

Northern Searobin Prionotue carolinus

Sand shrimp Cragnon vulgaris

Naked Goby Gobiosoma Bosci

Northern stargazer Astroscopus guttatus

Northern pipefish Syngnathus fuscus

Northern sennet Sphyraena borealis

Motted sculpin Cottus bairdi

Three-spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

Conger eel Conger oceanicus

Oyster toadfish Opsanus tau

Atlantic silverside Menidia Menidia

Smallmouth flounder Etropus microstomus

Sculpin Cottidae family

Porcupinefish Diodon hystrix

Silver perch

Bay Anchovy Anchoa mitchille

Alewife Alosa pseudoharengus

Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus muclatus

Hogchoker Trinectes maculatus

Windowpane (albino) Scopthalmus aquosus

Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix

Northern kingfish Menticirrhus saxatilis

Smooth tonguefish Symphurus pusillus

Striped cusk-eel Ophidion marginatum

Striped bass Morone saxatilis