Smelts are a family of small fish, the Osmeridae, found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans, as well as rivers, streams and lakes in Europe, North America and Northeast Asia. They are also
Pond smelt illustration
Smelt dipping in the Keweenaw Peninsula in Michigan
Close-up of smelt for sale at a California seafood market
The ayu sweetfish, ayu or sweetfish, is a species of bony fish. It is the only species in the genus Plecoglossus and family Plecoglossidae. It is a relative of the smelts and other fish in the order O
Smelt (fish)
…Europe; Speirsaenigma from the Paleocene of Canada may be an even earlier representative, although some authors instead consider it a relative of the ayu. In size, most species rarely exceed 20 centimetres (8 in), although some grow larger. Some females of European smelt can reach 25–40 cm (9.8–15.7 in…
A school of ayu
Scrape marks left by ayu feeding on algae when the rock was submerged
Lake Biwa ayu
Ayu being grilled with salt in Japan; note the wave-like "swimming" shape of the skewered fish