Surf smelt (Hypomesus pretiosus) is a saltwater, brackish species recorded in the United States.
Scientific name: Hypomesus pretiosus · Water: Saltwater, Brackish
Size: up to 30.5 cm
The surf smelt is a benthopelagic osmerid; individuals of about 3.5 cm may ascend rivers, presumably returning to the sea shortly afterwards, and young fish are presumed to move offshore and reappear inshore as mature adults. At sea it feeds on small crustaceans, worms and jellyfish as well as larval fishes. Females reach age three and males age two. It is oviparous with demersal eggs and planktonic larvae, and the eggs are laid on beaches with heavy surf action. Its range is the eastern Pacific, from Prince William Sound and the Gulf of Alaska to Long Beach in southern California; reports from the western Pacific are misidentifications of Hypomesus japonicus. Maximum length is about 31 cm total length, commonly about 15 cm, and it can live five years. It is a commercial species and a gamefish, with a low price category. Fishing vulnerability is low to moderate at 31 of 100 and resilience medium, and climate vulnerability is high to very high at 71 of 100.
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