smelt

Osmerus eperlanus

Maxilla reaching posterior eye margin

smelt is a migratory fish of North Atlantic. The species occupies freshwater habitats. The largest recorded length is 45 cm.

Class: Teleosts
Order: Smelts and Allies
Family: Osmeridae
Genus: Osmerus
Maximum length: 45 cm
Body shape: elongated
Distribution: North Atlantic: White Sea southward to western coasts of France including Baltic Sea, southern North Sea and British Isles (Ref. 4545 ); the Gironde estuary is the southern limit of his distribution (Ref. 51442 ). Landlocked populations in lakes of coastal areas of North, Baltic, White and Barents Sea. North to about 68° N in Scandinavia (Ref. 59043 ). The former nominal subspecies Osmerus eperlanus eperlanus is recorded from the coasts and drainage of White and Barents Seas westward through Baltic Sea to Denmark and it is primarily lacustrine (Ref. 4545 ). The former subspecies Osmerus eperlanus schonfoldi (Rutty 1772) is sympatric with the nominate subspecies in parts of Poland, Denmark and the Baltic, and it is primarily anadromous (Ref. 4545 ).
Conservation status: LCLeast Concern

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