Maine Seafood Guide – Smelt
Species Description Season Status Regulatory Authority Harvest Method Recreational Harvest Health Benefits & Risks Buying & Preparing Brands Certifications Links
►Species Description
Rainbow smelt Osmerus mordax
Wild.
The rainbow smelt is a small fish that lives in estuaries and offshore waters, and spawns in shallow freshwater streams each spring. The species’ historical range is from Chesapeake Bay to Labrador, but has contracted since the 1950s. Sea-run smelt are now found only in waters north of Long Island Sound.
►Season
Year-round, with peak in winter and spring.
►Status
Recent Maine DMR surveys have shown that smelt populations are declining in many portions of Maine. In order to allow Maine’s smelt fishery to recover from a decline in abundance in the southern half of the coast, the Maine Department of Marine Resources closed the spring smelt fishery from Stonington to the New Hampshire border, beginning March 14, 2014. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration listed the rainbow smelt as a federal Species of Concern in 2004. View the 2019 smelting regulations from the Department of Marine Resources.
►Regulatory Authority
Maine Department of Marine Resources.
►Harvest Method
In Maine, rainbow smelt are harvested in three distinct fisheries. During the spring months, as these anadromous fish move into freshwater streams to spawn, fishermen harvest them with hand-held dip nets. A commercial fishery operating on rivers in Washington County uses bag nets and gillnets. The fall season supports a riverine and coastal bay hook and line fishery. In winter, anglers fish for smelt through ice on tidal rivers.
►Recreational Harvest
Rules for sea-run smelt differ depending on where you are fishing.
►Health Benefits & Risks
Rainbow smelt are a low-fat, low-calorie, low-mercury source of vitamin B12, selenium and omega-3 fatty acids. Rainbow smelt should not be eaten raw due to the possible presence of parasites.
►Buying & Preparing
Fresh smelt has a bright, pale silvery green color and a scent reminiscent of cucumber or watermelon. Smelts can be fried whole, broiled, or pickled.
►Companies, Brands, and Labels
None.
►Certifications & Verifications
None.
►Links
- Learn more about smelt research and restoration efforts.
- Maine Department of Marine Resources smelt page.
- NOAA Fisheries smelt page.
