Fisherman Island
Encyclopedia
Fisherman Island is the southernmost island on the Delmarva Peninsula
chain of barrier island
s. Located at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay
, the island is subject to great changes in its landscape from waves and runoff. It first formed about 200 to 250 years ago.
Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge is located within the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
's Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge
, and is cut in half by the presence of U.S. Highway 13 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. 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
.
Delmarva Peninsula
The Delmarva Peninsula is a large peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by most of Delaware and portions of Maryland and Virginia...
chain of barrier island
Barrier island
Barrier islands, a coastal landform and a type of barrier system, are relatively narrow strips of sand that parallel the mainland coast. They usually occur in chains, consisting of anything from a few islands to more than a dozen...
s. Located at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, the island is subject to great changes in its landscape from waves and runoff. It first formed about 200 to 250 years ago.
Fisherman Island National Wildlife Refuge is located within the United States Fish and Wildlife Service
United States Fish and Wildlife Service
The United States Fish and Wildlife Service is a federal government agency within the United States Department of the Interior dedicated to the management of fish, wildlife, and natural habitats...
's Eastern Shore of Virginia National Wildlife Refuge
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, and managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. in size, it was established in 1984...
, and is cut in half by the presence of U.S. Highway 13 and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. 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
Hurricane Isabel was the costliest and deadliest hurricane in the 2003 Atlantic hurricane season. The ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and second major hurricane of the season, Isabel formed near the Cape Verde Islands from a tropical wave on September 6 in the tropical Atlantic Ocean...
.