Smelt Festival Could Become Thing of the Past
June 3, 2001

Will the local Smelt Festival ever become a thing of the past? What is the present status of the little silvery fish?

Environmentally oriented organizations like Woodland Dunes are frequently reminded of the depletion in numbers of once-common creatures in the natural world.

What about the smelt? What is their history and are their numbers predicable for the future?

The following information from the Wisconsin Sea Grant, taken from the internet is worthy of being shared.

"Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) Length: 7 to 9 inches, weight: 3 ounces. Coloring: silvery with pale green; back iridescent purple, blue and pink on sides. Commonly called smelt or American Smelt, they are found in all the Great Lakes.

Introduced to Michigan's inland waters as food for stocked salmon in the 1900's, this small ocean fish soon escaped to Lake Michigan. By 1930, the rapidly growing smelt population had expanded into Lake Superior.

In the lower Great Lakes, rainbow smelt were first regarded as a nuisance, hordes of them invading and becoming entangled in fish nets.

In Lake Superior, however, they were welcomed both as a forage fish and as a recreational target during their spring spawning runs. Systematic harvesting began in 1952 and dip-netting in spawning streams has developed into an avid sport.

In the streams, rainbow smelt display the characteristics that inspired their name, shimmering colorfully. Removed from the water they quickly fade to a lifeless silvery white and give off the odor of freshly cut cucumber. These carnivorous fish school in both coastal and central regions of the lake. Sensitive to bright lights and warm temperatures, they are usually found in dark, cool depths offshore.

Smelt are not only processed for animal feeds but are also enjoyed by people and countries as far away as Japan are interested in importing its meat and roe. Unfortunately, smelt populations fell sharply in the early 1980's and the outlook for them is not clear."

With further inquiry it was learned from a Department of Natural Resources fisheries individual that the entire biomass (all the living things in an environment) in Lake Michigan is declining. Although there are many suggestions and theories, to date there are no provable reasons.

In a discussion with a local commercial fisherman, it was learned that this years catch was better than last year.

Research disclosed that the small, fleshy adipose (fatty) fin that is situated between the dorsal fin and tail as found on members of the trout family, to which smelt are related, has been inherited from a very ancient, but common ancestor. This led to further research on the fossil history of fish.