Fish Collection at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science
The VIMS Nunnally Ichthyology Collection serves a broad community of basic and applied research scientists and fisheries managers and provides an important resource for local community outreach. Through its 56-year history, the VIMS collection has grown from an uncatalogued teaching collection to one of the largest repositories for freshwater, Chesapeake Bay, and coastal fishes in Virginia. The VIMS collection currently maintains approximately 24,000 catalogued lots of fish (around 300,000 total specimens). The VIMS collection also houses a number of specimens of significant general science interest, including two specimens of the coelacanth (Latimeria chalumnae), a great white shark, and unique records (e.g., a Mola mola from the Chesapeake Bay). Four themes can be noted as unique strengths of the collection: Fishes of Chesapeake Bay and the Coast of Virginia, Deep-sea Fishes of the Western North Atlantic, Freshwater Fishes of Virginia, and Larval Fishes.
Images of the exhibit are available from Swem Library on Flickr.
Curators: Eric J. Hilton, Assistant Professor of Marine Science and Curator, VIMS Nunnally Ichthyology Collection, and Sarah K. Huber, Curatorial Associate, VIMS Nunnally Ichthyology Collection