Smelt is a fish with small, delicate scales that fall off very simply. It also has an elongated body, a mouth with an elongated jaw, and many large teeth. This fish is very beautiful. The sides are silver with a bluish tint, and the back is brownish-green and slightly translucent.
The size of this smelt family fish depends on its habitat. Basically, its length ranges from 16 to 20 cm, individuals with a length of 25 cm or more are much less common. There are European and Asian smelt, although their differences are so insignificant that they are often confused with each other. The weight of each individual can be from 20 to 350 grams - it all depends on the habitat. The largest fish are found in Siberia.
In general, smelt is a fish that has a very large range. However, most often it can be found in northern waters. Smelt fish of the family of smelt spread in fresh cold lakes and received the name smelt. Some researchers consider it a degenerate species.
Smelt is most often found in the Gulf of Finland, the Arctic Ocean, the Baltic and White Seas, Ladoga, Peipsi and Onega Lakes. It is found only in large shoals both in the sea and in fresh waters.
Smelt - the fish is very voracious. And although its main food is zooplankton, it does not disdain fish, which are not much smaller than it. This fish belongs to salmon; therefore, its marine population in the spring goes to spawn up fresh rivers. At the same time, billions of eggs are laid, from which young growth will later develop. One individual lays up to 50, 000 pieces per spawning. Depending on the place of spawning and weather conditions, fry appear in 5-10 days. Almost the entire species is very tenacious, so the catch very often reaches the consumer alive. The life span of smelt varies and depends on its habitat. In central Russia, the fish lives no more than 3-4 years, but the closer to the north, the longer its life. In Siberia, the age of individuals in a population reaches 10-12 years.
Thanks to the rapid and numerous reproduction of offspring, smelt is a fish that is accessible to a wide range of people. Its nutritional properties make it possible to prepare various culinary masterpieces from it. It can be bought live, freshly frozen, salted, smoked or in the form of preserves. Fish can be baked in the oven, fried on charcoal, in clay or just in a skillet. The smell of freshly smelt reminds the smell of cucumbers. The flesh of the fish is somewhat oily, but it just melts in the mouth. It is better to use it with fresh vegetables or boiled or fried potatoes.
Smelt is unpretentious and very suitable for artificial cultivation on an industrial scale. Breeding such fish is generally easy. It is enough to have a rather deep lake or a pond with cold water. It is known that in England this species of fish is bred even in key ponds, where it is very well developed. The most profitable place for breeding, according to experts, is the lakes of central Russia.
