Smelt

Smelt, small, silvery fish that lives in large shoals in the colder waters of the Northern Hemisphere. Smelts range from 3 to 12 in (7.6 to 30.5 cm) and are an important food for other fishes. Like the related salmon and trout, they have a fleshy fin on the back. The American smelt is caught in large numbers as it ascends Atlantic Coast rivers to spawn. Pacific smelt are not often eaten because of their oily flesh.