Fish River is a
river in
Baldwin County,
Alabama
Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
. It originates at , near
Stapleton, and discharges into Weeks Bay at in
Magnolia Springs.
It was named by the original
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
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:
Culture, language and peoples
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
* ''English'', an Amish ter ...
as Fish River. The river runs through mostly rural areas but is traversed by
US Highway 31,
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...
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. It generally travels near Int ...
.
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 Nort ...
s.
A
pitcher plant
Pitcher plants are carnivorous plants
known as pitfall traps—a prey-trapping mechanism featuring a deep cavity filled with digestive liquid. The traps of pitcher plant are considered to be "true" pitcher plants and are formed by specialized ...
bog
A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and musk ...
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
''Palaemon'' is a genus of caridean shrimp in the family Palaemonidae
Palaemonidae is a family of shrimp in the order Decapoda. Many species are carnivores that eat small invertebrates, and can be found in any aquatic habitat except the deep ...
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. T ...
. 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