About Hypomesus pretiosus (Girard, 1854)
Hypomesus pretiosus, commonly known as the surf smelt, is a species of marine smelt. Its range extends along the Pacific coast of North America from Prince William Sound, Alaska to Long Beach, California, though its population declines in areas south of San Francisco. Adult surf smelt reach different maximum sizes depending on their location: they grow to about 10 inches long in southern waters, and 8 and 3/4 inches long in northern waters near Canada. On average, approximately 10 individual surf smelt make up one pound in total weight. Spawning for this species takes place at nighttime, which is why it is sometimes also called night smelt. Spawning activity peaks between May and October each year. The maximum lifespan of this fish is three to four years. Some female surf smelt are able to spawn when they are just one year old, and all females are mature and able to spawn by age two. Each time a female spawns, she lays between 1,500 and 36,000 sticky eggs in the surf zone. A single female may spawn three to five or more times in one spawning season. H. pretiosus feeds on polychaete worms, larval fish, and jellyfish, but its primary food source is small crustaceans. Surf smelt are an important prey item for salmon and halibut. They are also the most economically important fish among all California smelt species, with around 225,000 kilograms harvested annually in California.
