And it's no wonder why. The waters of the Chesapeake Bay are the nation's largest and most biologically diverse estuary, yielding more seafood than any of the 840 other estuaries in our land. Add to that some 494 million pounds of finfish and shellfish caught from our rivers, coastal and Atlantic waters, and that's enough seafood to prepare 123 million meals annually.

Virginia's shellfish, including scallops, clams, blue crab, soft-shell crab and oysters, inspire chefs around the world to create culinary masterpieces. Seafood lovers will seek out popular varieties of fresh fish such as flounder, mackerel, croaker, and striped bass to name a few. Plus, when you feature exotic seafood like monkfish, Chesapeake ray, eel or conch, diners are guaranteed a meal they won't forget.

Even better, you know that Virginia Seafood will be delivered fresh and tasty since 96% of our catch is made on day boats. Almost before the fish know they're out of the water, they're back at the dock. Within 12-24 hours a fleet of refrigerated trucks and commercial airlines deliver our seafood to a waiting world.