Rainbow Smelt

Description

Distinguishing Features - Coloration: silvery with pale green back iridescent purple, blue, and pink on sides; white belly. Body: slender and cylindrical; gill rakers long and slender, numbering 26-35; dorsal fin of 8-11 rays; anal fin of 12-16 rays; pectoral fins of 11-14 rays; pelvic fins of 8 rays; has adipose fin; tail fin deeply forked; cycloid scales; lateral line incomplete, with 62-72 scales. Head: elongated and pointed snout mouth large, with protruding lower jaw teeth on both mandibles.

Size - Average Weight - 85 g (3 oz.); average length - 17.75 - 23 cm (7 - 9 in.).

Habitat

An introduced species to Great Lakes and other inland waters; usually found in dark, cool depths offshore; spawns in spring, in streams, principally during darkness. Female can produce 12,000 to 50,000 eggs, which sink to the bottom and become attached to gravel; eggs hatch rapidly and larval young drift downstream to deep waters.