THE SMELTS 223 
“Nors.” Bloch (1796) wrote that it is called “Stint,” “Seestint,” and “grosser 
Stint” in Germany. 
Goode (1884) says that the smelt is the Stint or Sparling of Germany, the 
smelt or sparling of England, and the spiering or spearling of Holland. Hoek (1904) 
lists the names used in Europe as follows: Smaelt (Denmark), Norssi and knore 
(Finland), spiering (Holland), eperlan (France), Nors (Sweden and Norway), and 
korjuschka (Russia). 
HABITAT 
The marine smelt of the western Atlantic, and probably of Europe also, is of 
far greater commerical importance than the fresh-water smelt. It is essentially a 
shore fish that apparently varies its habitat to only a limited degree, and that vari- 
ation is largely in accordance with the variation in habits of the various ages of the 
fish, which itself is detemined largely by the different requirements pertaining to 
food, food supply, and other conditions of self-preservation. Day (1884, p. 122) says 
of it: 
A gregarious and voracious species, remaining with us throughout the year, and passing a 
portion of each season in fresh, and the remainder, as a rule, in saltwater, but irregular in its migra- 
tions, continuing in some rivers five or six months, in others hardly as many weeks. It is generally 
found in rivers or fresh waters, from August until May. In the Thames it rarely ascends above 
Woolwich, but Buckland in March, 1868, received three live ones captured nearly as high as 
Teddington, while others were taken near Kew Bridge. This year [1882] some were present at 
the end of September, and had selected their spawning quarters in the tideway opposite Chiswick 
Mill, and Strand-on-the-Green. 
One fully 9 inches long was captured while bleak fishing at Wooden-bridge-creek, Hammer- 
smith. It drives the dace before it, these latter fish ascending to Richmond, Isleworth, etc. 
In another place (p. 123) he wrote: 
The sparling are very uncertain and apparently fickle in their visits to their supposed haunts — 
i. e., in holes near rocks, where fresh-water streams mingle with tidal water. One day 20 lb. or 
30 lb. may be taken; then for a week or ten days only an odd fish or two will be got; then a week 
of good takes. They are easily driven away, for on one occasion some men left a boat anchored 
in a hole to reserve the right of first draw. Whilst that boat remained there no sparling rested in 
the hole, but when it was removed they returned to their haunt. 
Smitt (1895, p. 873) says: 
As the spawning-season approaches, it assembles in large and dense shoals; but at other times 
it leads a more solitary life, being frequently taken in the herring-nets used in the Baltic, but not 
in any great number. 
This may be true of the European smelt, but it is well known that in this coun- 
try smelts occur in large schools in the fall of the year during the fishing season. 
Young smelts appear always to be in schools. However, if opinion were based upon 
the number of smelts taken in the herring weirs in the sardine fishery of Maine per- 
haps the same conclusion would be reached as in the case of the Swedish smelt. 
Perhaps if they were fished for in the Baltic as in Maine, for instance, they would 
be taken in greater numbers. 
Nordqvist (1910) states that in the Gulfs of Finland and Bothnia the smelt lives 
all winter in brackish water, chiefly at depths of 15 to 16 fathoms, but that near Hel- 
singfors the large smelts occur at depths of 17 to 18 fathoms, and the smaller fish at 
depths of 8 to 9 fathoms. 
