Family OSMERIDAE 



THE SMELT FAMILY 



Smelts are small fishes, and most of them live in the sea, but many 

 ascend rivers to spawn. They possess an adipose fin and well-developed 

 teeth and are similar in form to the Salmonidae, but differ in having 

 less than 100 scales in the lateral line. 



GENUS Osjnerus Lacepede 



Several species occur in this genus, one of which has been introduced 

 into inland waters. 



AMERICAN SMELT 



Osmerus mordax (Mitchill) 



This smelt is a slender, silvery fish with an adipose fin. There are 

 2 to 4 large, strong teeth on the vomer. There are about 68 scales in the 

 lateral line. The dorsal fin has 10 rays. These fishes are small, not exceed- 

 ing 10 or 12 inches in length. 



American smelt occur along the Atlantic Coast from New York 

 northward, and migrate up rivers to spawn. They have become land- 

 locked in some of the eastern lakes. They were originally introduced 

 into a small lake in Michigan to provide food for introduced land- 

 locked salmon and found egress from these waters into the Great 

 Lakes (Creaser, 1925) . They became very abundant in Lake Michigan, 

 where they migrated up certain tributary streams in great numbers 

 each spring. In 1942-43 they became scarce for some reason. However, 

 they seem to be increasing again in 1946. For several years commercial 

 fishermen have reported them from the Minnesota waters of Lake 

 Superior, and in 1946 this report was verified by specimens sent to the 

 Minnesota Department of Conservation from off the mouth of the 

 French River. Smelt are excellent food fishes and large quantities are 

 caught commercially during the spawning runs in eastern Wisconsin. 



As smelt are carnivorous there has been much debate about their 

 competition with the native trout and coregonids. Greene (1930) states 

 that smelt become potential fish eaters at a very small size. They are 

 cannibalistic, and larger smelt deprived of a plentiful supply of smaller 

 smelt would tend to prey upon the young of other fishes. 



Some people have requested that smelt be introduced into certain 

 Minnesota lakes. It is possible that smelt might prove an undesirable 

 addition to the fishes of such lakes even though they did no more than 

 compete with all the smaller fishes for food. Every effort should be 

 made to exclude smelt from new waters until it has been ascertained 

 whether or not their value as dainty food fishes surpasses or compensates 

 for their probable destructiveness to other fishes. 



93 



