Smelts

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Smelt
Rainbow Smelt, Osmerus mordax
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopterygii Order: Osmeriformes Family: Osmeridae
Genera
Allosmerus Hypomesus Mallotus Osmerus Spirinchus Thaleichthys

Smelts are a family, Osmeridae, of small anadromous fish. They are common in the North American Great Lakes and in the lakes and seas of the northern part of Europe, and run in large schools along the coastline during their spring migration to their spawning streams. The family consists of some sixteen species in six genera.

The fish usually reach only 15 cm and are a food source for salmon and lake trout. It is one of the few fish that sportsmen are allowed to net, using dip nets, either along the coastline or in the streams. Some sportsmen also ice fish for smelt. Smelt are often fried and eaten whole.

Smelt has a character odour, similar to the smell of cucumbers. Smelt roe is bright orange in color, and is often used to garnish sushi.

[edit] Smelt Dipping

In Michigan and other northern states, "smelt dipping" is a common sport in the early spring months (generally late April in the Upper Peninsula, when the stream water reaches approximately 4°C). Fish are simply spotted using a flashlight (the best smelt dipping is in the middle of the night) and scooped out of the water using a dip net made of nylon or metal mesh. To clean a smelt, simply remove the head and the entrails. Fins, scales, and bones of all but the largest of smelts will soften when the smelts are cooked and do not need to be removed. It is often a social gathering.

On the Maine coast, smelts were also a sign of spring, with the run of these small fish up tiny tidal estuaries. Many of these 'rivers' were small enough that a person could straddle the water and, leaning over, dip a bucket and get a good catch of smelt. Also good place to find smelts are by rocks in the middle of the river and by the banks by the river bed.

[edit] Miscellaneous

Smelts have been traditionally an important winter catch in the salt water mouths of rivers in New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. Fishermen would go to customary locations over the ice using horses and sleighs. Smelt taken out of the cold salt water were much preferred to those taken in warm water. The smelt did not command a high price on the market, but provided a useful supplemental income in times when wants were much less. The smelts were "flash frozen" simply by leaving them on the ice and then sold to fish buyers who came down the rivers on horse and sleigh. They were also an excellent winter meal. They were gutted, heads and tails removed and rinsed in cold water then dipped in flour mixed with salt and pepper and fried in butter. Served with boiled potatoes and pickled beets, they were a welcome addition to winter fare.

A variety of Smelt, the Delta Smelt is found in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Delta Smelt is a protected species.

Catholics of Italian heritage on the Northeastern coast of America often eat smelts as part of Christmas Eve dinner.

Kelso, Washington along the Columbia River in the Northwestern United States is listed as the "Smelt Capital of the World".

[edit] External links

• "Osmeridae". FishBase. Ed. Rainer Froese and Daniel Pauly. January 2006 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2006.