Virginia boasts some of the most biologically diverse waterways in the country, which makes the state one of the country's top seafood producers. From the Chesapeake Bay to the Atlantic Ocean, 11,000 Virginians work on the water to bring over 80 species of delicious fish to the global table every day.
The Virginia Seafood Guide is designed to help consumers identify seasonal and sustainable seafood caught or raised in Virginia's waters, whether you're cooking at home or ordering from a restaurant menu. Buying seafood locally means putting fresh-caught seafood back on your plate while supporting the regional economy. Try Virginia sustainable seafood and taste what's good!
This guide is updated as our Sensible Seafood Program team receives new data on species populations. Keep an eye on this page for the latest information.
Highly sought after for their meat, crabs serve both as food and predator for other animals on the food chain, sustaining some species while also keeping others in check. Blue crabs in particular are an icon within our regional seafood industry.
Blue Crab | Wild Caught
Market Names: hard-shell crab, soft-shell crab. Sold whole, live, or steamed. Crabmeat is available fresh, frozen, and pasteurized.
Red Crab | Wild Caught
Sold live, whole frozen, cooked, or raw, in frozen clusters, or as leg meat and body meat. Claw fingers are to snap and eat.
This group of aquatic animals consists of both mollusks (also known as bivalves) and crustaceans. Bivalves such as oysters and clams are filter feeders that help clean excess algae and other organic matter from water. Their presence indicates the health of an aquatic ecosystem while also supporting it.
Eastern Oyster | Wild Caught & Aquaculture
Market Name: American oyster. Sold live in the shell at approximately 3” market size. Freshly shucked oysters can be large “counts” to the small “standards” and sold in pints, quarts, or gallons, or sold frozen. The salinity levels of Virginia waters (from the fresh water of the Appalachian Mountain Range to the salt water of the Atlantic Ocean) creates varied tastes for Virginia oysters based on the region.
Sea Scallop | Wild Caught
Market Names: giant scallop, scallop. Sold by count per pound.
Hard Clam | Wild Caught & Aquaculture
Market Names: northern quahog, hardshell clam, littleneck clams. Sold live in shell, fresh-shucked, canned, and frozen. Often added to other products like sauces and soups.
Channeled Whelk
Market Names: conch, scungilli. Sold fresh or frozen by the pound.
Also known as "true fish," finfish are the world's most diverse group of vertebrate animals and are distinct from shellfish and aquatic invertebrates. They reside in both marine and freshwater ecosystems and play important roles across all levels of the food chain.
Blue Catfish | Wild Caught
Market Names: catfish, blue cat. Sold as fresh or frozen steaks, filets, and whole.
Spot | Wild Caught
Sold fresh, whole, or dressed. Occasionally frozen.
Spiny Dogfish | Wild Caught
Market Names: cape shark, spurdog, piked dogfish, chip fish, chip shark. Sold as filets or whole, fresh and frozen.
Striped Bass | Wild Caught
Market Names: rockfish, striper, bass, linesides. Sold as filets or whole, fresh and frozen.
Croaker | Wild Caught
Usually sold whole, but larger fish are available that can be filleted. Also known as the “talking fish,” croakers emit a croaking sound, both in the water and when caught.
Monkfish | Wild Caught
Market Names: goosefish, American angler. Sold whole, or as fresh and frozen tail filets with or without skin. Many consumers consider monkfish similar to lobster in taste and texture.
Black Sea Bass | Wild Caught
Market Names: sea bass, blackfish, rock bass, tallywag. Sold as fillets or whole, can usually be found frozen year round.
Northern Puffer | Wild Caught
Market Name: sugar toad. Sold fresh or frozen as a filet, whole, or dressed. The puffer picks up its sugar toad name because of the sweet taste of its meat and because its skin is covered with small spines that look like the fish has been sprinkled with sugar.
Bluefish | Wild Caught
Market Names: tailor (often refers to smaller bluefish), snapper. Sold fresh as filets, whole, salted, dried, smoked, and as pâté.
Summer Flounder*
Market Names: fluke, northern fluke, plaice. Sold fresh or frozen, whole or as filets. Often available stuffed or breaded. *Catch method is a factor in determining sustainability.
While Virginia's waters host an abundant number of fish today, there are measures in place to ensure Virginia seafood remains on tomorrow's menu. Marine scientists, fishery managers, and seafood producers provide scientific data that helps the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) assess current fish stocks and set regulations to maintain the overall health of Virginia's fisheries. The VMRC also works with regional and federal agencies to ensure that fish who might migrate through Virginia's waters are a part of cooperative, well-managed fisheries and that seafood is sustainable and safe for consumption.
Certain species are more abundantly available during some months than others. Explore what times of the year your favorite seafood is in season! This list was last updated May 2025.
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam |
Striped Bass Monkfish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam |
Striped Bass Monkfish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam |
Blue Catfish Striped Bass Monkfish Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam Channeled Whelk |
Blue Catfish Spot (late April) Striped Bass Croaker Monkfish Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam Channeled Whelk |
Blue Catfish Spot Spiny Dogfish Striped Bass Croaker Monkfish Black Sea Bass Northern Puffer Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam Channeled Whelk |
Blue Catfish Spot Spiny Dogfish Striped Bass Croaker Monkfish Black Sea Bass Northern Puffer Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam |
Blue Catfish Spot Spiny Dogfish Striped Bass Croaker Monkfish Black Sea Bass Northern Puffer Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam |
Blue Catfish Spot Spiny Dogfish Striped Bass Croaker Monkfish Black Sea Bass Northern Puffer Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam Channeled Whelk |
Blue Catfish Spot Spiny Dogfish Striped Bass Croaker Monkfish Black Sea Bass Northern Puffer Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam Channeled Whelk |
Blue Catfish Spot Spiny Dogfish Striped Bass Croaker Monkfish Black Sea Bass Northern Puffer Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Blue Crab Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam Channeled Whelk |
Blue Catfish Spot (early November) Striped Bass Croaker Monkfish Black Sea Bass Bluefish Summer Flounder |
| Crabs & Shellfish | Finfish |
| Red Crab Eastern Oyster Sea Scallop Hard Clam |
Blue Catfish Striped Bass Monkfish Black Sea Bass Summer Flounder |
Contact our Sensible Seafood Program Assistant for more information.
