Home › Volumes › Fishes › The Smelts
Rainbow Herring
Images coming soon.
On both coasts of Bering Sea and south to northern China this smelt is found. It is a brilliantly coloured little fish with the flesh of firmer texture than in other species. About Bristol Bay it constitutes an important part of the food of the natives.
Colour, pale olive on back, the scales edged with darker; side above lateral line purple, changing below to blue, and then to violet and gold; under parts silvery, with rosy sheen, the belly satiny-white; fins plain, slightly golden.
GENUS HYPOMESUS GILL
The Surf Smelts
Body rather elongate, moderately compressed, covered with thin scales of moderate size; head rather pointed; mouth moderate, the short maxillary not quite reaching middle of eye, its outline below broadly convex; lower jaw projecting; teeth minute, on jaws, vomer, palatines, and tongue; ventrals inserted directly under middle of dorsal; midway between eye and base of caudal. Small fishes of the North Pacific.