S74 



SI'ANDIN.WIAX KISIIKS 



'I'iic' rank odour emitted 1)\ the Smelt offends the 

 tasti^ of many; but the flesh is good, and the belly 

 between the spawning-seasons full of fat. Among epi- 

 cures it is esteemed as a delieat^y, after the disagreeable 

 smell has been remo\ed 1>a" very simple culinary me- 

 tliods. Tlie tish must also be carefulh' gutted, espeei- 

 aii\ if in breeding condition, to rid it of the numerous 

 intestinal worms, which penetrate even into the air- 

 bladdei-. It is best fried and served with lemon-juice 

 or \inegar, l)ut is often l)i)iled or stewed in sauces, 

 it is also split and dried for future consumption, and 

 in this st;ite may be eaten without further preparation". 

 Another method is to soak tlie dried fish in lye, and 

 afterwards dress it foi' tal)le like otlier stockfish. In 

 addition to its utility as JHiman food, the Smelt also 

 ]>ossesses importaiice as one of the best baits for pre- 



readiness. When the Smelt spawns on shores or off 

 headlands, it is taken with di-ag-nets, which differ from 

 an ordinary seine only in the comparative fineness of 

 the meshes. This fishery is pursued only at night, bon- 

 fires being not unfrequently lit on slioi'e by the fisher- 

 men, in the lielief tliat the fish, enticed b^' the glare, 

 come nearer land." The well-known Smelt-fishery in 

 the Norrstr5m oft' Stockholm is carried on with large 

 hoop-nets (fig. 219), such as are in general use at many 

 places among the island-belt of Stockholm, to secure 

 all kinds of small fishes for bait. These hoop-nets, 

 usually about y> — 3' ^ m. in diameter, are let down and 

 hoisted up from a boat, with the aid of a long pole erected 

 obliquely ujMvards in the stern; and a hand-net is em- 

 ployed to scoop the fish out of the large net. The Smelt 

 is also caught on the liook with a bait of shrimps. 



SinelMisliiiis "itli hni^p-nft from a lioat. 



da.tor\' fishes of a greater size; and in several localities 

 where it is taken in too great a. ([uantity for imme- 

 diate use, it is even made into guano. 



< >f the Smelt-fishei-\- EKsTiiibi writes, ""It is during 

 the spawning-season that the Smelt is taken in any 

 i]uantit\-, the fishery being c(nnmonl3- conducted in the 

 following manner. Across the straits or the rivers to 

 which the Smelt ascends in order to spawn, fences are 

 built of green spruce branches, arranged so as to leave 

 gaps at the deepest parts of the chainiel. At these gaps 

 the fisherman stations himself witii a scoop-net large 

 enough to fill the opening and breaded of meshes so 

 fine that the Smelts cannot slip through. This net, 

 which is distended on staves, he lets down into the 

 opening, and takes up after a longer or shorter interval 

 according to the numbers of fish that come up, the take 

 being then turned out of tiie net into a coble held in 



" "It used to lie splil ami ilricil anil was tlius considered to 



sand-hoppers ((iammaroids), worms, or bits of tish: Init 

 this method is successful only when used for the large 

 Smelts, the slom or iiorskiiiirj as they are called in 

 some ]>;irts of Sweden wlu-n thev occur in solitary 

 specimens among the smaller Smelts. 



Man is not the only enemy which the Smelt has 

 to fear; it often falls a victim to predatory fishes and 

 waterfowl. Although its great fecundity can, no doubt, 

 compensate in most cases the losses inflicted by an ac- 

 tive fishery, still it is advisable to protect the young fisii. 



In lakes where the Smelt is wanting, it may easily 

 be introduced, and is very useful, especiallj^ as food 

 for othei- fishes, in particular for the Pike-perch, as 

 Nii.ssoN has pointed out. The im])regnated eggs may 

 be transpoi'ted from one lake to another, or with a little 

 care the spawning Smelt may be conveyed alive during 

 the cool season in vessels filled with pure watei'. 



iidd a peculiar relish to the morning dram of spirits". Day. 



