Description

'The common and scientific names of the Smelt derive from the cucumber-like odor of the fresh fish' (Scott and Crossman 1973).

Taxonomy

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family	Genus
Animalia	Chordata	Osteichthyes	Salmoniformes	Osmeridae	Oncorynchus

Synonyms

Salmo eperlanus; Osmerus viridescens; Osmerus sergeanti; Osmerus dentex

Invasion History

Chesapeake Bay Status

First Record	Population	Range	Introduction	Residency	Source Region	Native Region	Vectors
1987	Unknown	Contracting	Introduced	Boundary Resident	North America	Holarctic	Fisheries(Fisheries Intentional)

History of Spread

Osmerus mordax's (Rainbow Smelt's) native range includes Atlantic drainages from Lake Melville, Newfoundland to the Delaware River NJ-PA-DE (where it its now extinct), possibly Lake Ontario, and Arctic, and Pacific drainages to Vancouver Island, British Columbia, as well as Pacific drainages of Asia (Page and Burr 1991) Erroneous reports of O. mordax's occurrence in VA (e.g. Bigelow and Schroeder 1953) may have been based on Captain John Smith's journals of Jamestown, and by local references to Silversides (Menidia) spp. and minnows as 'smelts' (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).

Osmerus mordax is frequently landlocked naturally and has been frequently introduced into impoundments and lakes as a forage fish (Page and Burr 1991). Osmerus mordax may or may not have been native to Lake Ontario, but they were stocked in the rest of the Great Lakes Basin in 1906 and 1912 and are now abundant (Mills et al. 1993). Populations which seasonally invade the lower Mississippi river (IL to New Orleans LA) may have entered the river from the Great Lakes, using the Chicago Sanitary and Ship canal from Lake Michigan to the Illinois River (Burr and Mayden 1980). Alternatively, Mississippi Basin populations may have originated from a stocking of Lake Sakakawea ND in 1971 (Fuller et al. 1999). This species is unable to breed or survive the summer in the lower Mississippi Basin (Burr and Mayden 1980; Page and Burr 1991). As a result of widespread stocking as a forage fish, as well as its Mississippi Basin invasion, O. mordax has been introduced to non-native drainages in 28 states, and is established in most of them (Fuller et al. 1999).

Potomac River - Osmerus mordax was stocked in the Potomac by the United States Fish Commission (USFC) in 1891, when 400,000 fish were released. In 1910, 1911 and 1912, batches of 9,000, 100,650 and 4,500,000 fish, respectively, were released between Mountain Locks and Great Falls on the Potomac (Bowers 1911 . However, there are no subsequent reports of O. mordax in the Potomac (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993). One hundred and fifty fish were stocked in Occoquan Reservoir VA in 1958, with no further record (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993).

Susquehanna River - O. mordax was introduced into Harvey's Lake (central PA) by PA Fish and Game Commission in 1952, resulting in an established population with annual spawning runs up the lake's inflowing streams (Denoncourt et al. 1975b). Occasional stray fish (~1fish/year) have been reported below Conowingo Dam (Susquehanna Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997).

Delaware River - Osmerus mordax was formerly native to the Delaware River; and was extirpated in the late 1800's. One adult, probably a stray from northern populations, was reported from Delaware Bay in 1986 (Raasch and Altemus 1991).

History References - Bigelow and Schroeder 1953; Bowers 1911; Burr and Mayden 1980; Denoncourt et al. 1975b; Fuller et al. 1999; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Mills et al. 1993; Page and Burr 1991; Raasch and Altemus 1991; Susquehanna Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997.

Invasion Comments

Population Status- Large-scale introductions of Osmerus mordax to the Potomac River failed, but a small established population in Harvey's Lake PA (Denoncourt et al. 1975) results in occasional strays in the lower Susquehanna (Susquehanna Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997).

Ecology

Environmental Tolerances

	For Survival		For Reproduction
	Minimum	Maximum	Minimum	Maximum
Temperature (ºC)	0.0	25.0	2.2	18.3
Salinity (‰)	0.0	35.0	0.0
Oxygen
pH
	Salinity Range	fresh-oligo

Age and Growth

	Male	Female
Minimum Adult Size (mm)
Typical Adult Size (mm)
Maximum Adult Size (mm)
Maximum Longevity (yrs)
Typical Longevity (yrs

Reproduction

	Start	Peak	End
Reproductive Season
Typical Number of Young Per Reproductive Event
Sexuality Mode(s)
Mode(s) of Asexual Reproduction
Fertilization Type(s)
More than One Reproduction Event per Year
Reproductive Startegy
Egg/Seed Form

Impacts

Economic Impacts in Chesapeake Bay

Osmerus mordax (Rainbow Smelt) has had no impacts in the Bay proper, where introductions have failed, but established populations exist in some reservoirs in the Susquehanna drainage (Harveys Lake, PA; Denoncourt et al. 1975). This species was probably once an important food fish in the Delaware River, where it became extinct in the 1870's (Raasch and Altemus 1991).

References- Denoncourt et al. 1975; Raasch and Altemus 1991

Economic Impacts Outside of Chesapeake Bay

Osmerus mordax (Rainbow Smelt) is popular local food fish where dense spawning runs occur, and an important food for larger game and food fish (Bigelow and Schroeder 1953). It has been widely stocked as a forage-fish (Lee et al. 1980), and has been introduced to 28 states (Fuller et al. 1999). In the Great Lakes, the introduction of Rainbow Smelt may have had adverse effects on Lake Herring and Bloaters, and 'Blue Pike' (Coregonus artedi; Coregonus hoyi; Stizostedion vitreum glaucum), formerly important food fishes (Leach 1995).

References- Bigelow and Schroeder 1953; Fuller et al. 1999; Leach 1995; Lee et al. 1980

Ecological Impacts on Chesapeake Native Species

Osmerus mordax (Rainbow Smelt) is a failed introduction in the Potomac (Jenkins and Burkhead 1993), but in the Susquehanna, a few fish each year are collected below Conowingo Dam (Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997), probably derived from established populations in reservoirs at higher elevations in PA (Denoncourt et al. 1975). This species has no reported impacts on Chesapeake Bay biota.

References - Denoncourt et al. 1975; Jenkins and Burkhead 1993; Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee 1993-1997

Ecological Impacts on Other Chesapeake Non-Native Species

Osmerus mordax (Rainbow Smelt) is very rare in Chesapeake tributaries, and has no impact on introduced biota.

References

Bigelow, Henry B.; Schroeder, William C. (1953) Fishes of the Gulf of Maine, Fishery Bulletin of the Fish and Wildlife Service 53: 1-577

Bowers, George (1911) Bureau of Fisheries- Report of the Commissioner of Fisheries for the fiscal year 1909 and special papers., , Washington DC. Pp.

Burr, Brooks M.; Mayden, Richard L. (1980) Dispersal of rainbow smelt, Osmerus mordax, into the upper Mississippi River (Pisces, Osmeridae), American Midland Naturalist 104: 198-201

Carlander, Kenneth D. (1969) Handbook of freshwater fishery biology. Vol. 1., In: (Eds.) . , Ames. Pp.

Denoncourt, Robert F.; Robbins, Timothy W.; Hesser, Robert (1975) Recent introductions and reintroductions to the Pennsylvania fish fauna of the Susquehanna River drainage above Conowingo Dam, Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 49: 57-58

Denoncourt, Robert F.; Cooper, Edwin L. (1975) A review of the literature and checklist of fishes of the Susquehanna River drainage above Conowingo Dam, Proceedings of the Pennsylvania Academy of Science 49: 121-125

Fuller, Pam. L.; Nico, Leo; Williams, J. D. (1999) Nonindigenous fishes introduced into inland waters of the United States, , Bethesda MD. Pp.

Jenkins, Robert E.; Burkhead, Noel M. (1993) Freshwater fishes of Virginia., , Bethesda, MD. Pp.

Leach, Joseph H. (1995) Nonindigenous species in the Great Lakes: Were colonization and damage to ecosystem health predictable?, Journal of Aquatic Ecosystem Health 4: 117-128

Lee, David S.; Gilbert, Carter R.; Hocutt, Charles H.; Jenkins, Robert E.; McAllister, Don E.; Stauffer, Jay R. (1980) Atlas of North American Freshwater Fishes, , Raleigh. Pp.

Lee, David S.; Norden, Arnold; Gilbert, Carter, R.; Franz, Richard (1976) A list of the freshwater fishes of Maryland and Delaware, Chesapeake Science 17: 205-211

Lee, David S.; Platania, S. P.; Gilbert, Carter R.; Franz, Richard; Norden, Arnold (1981) A revised list of the freshwater fishes of Maryland and Delaware, Proceedings of the Southeastern Fishes Council 3: 1-9

Mills, Edward L.; Leach, Joseph H.; Carlton, James T.; Secor, Carol L. (1993) Exotic species in the Great Lakes: a history of biotic crises and anthropogenic introductions., Journal of Great Lakes Research 19: 1-54

Page, Lawrence M.; Burr, Brooks M. (1991) Freshwater Fishes., , Boston. Pp.

Raasch, Maynard S.; Altemus, Vaughn L., Sr. (1991) Delaware's freshwater and brackish water fishes: a popular account, , Wilmingotn, Delaware. Pp.

Scott, W. B.; Crossman, E. J. (1973) Freshwater fishes of Canada, , Ottawa. Pp.

Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee (1996) Restoration of American Shad to the Susquehanna River, , . Pp.

Susquehanna River Anadromous Fish Restoration Committee (1997) Restoration of American Shad to the Susquehanna River, , . Pp.