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Smelts are a family of small fish, Osmeridae, found in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. They are also known as freshwater smelts or typical smelts to distinguish them from the related Argentinidae, Bathylagidae and Retropinnidae. Some smelt species are common in the North American Great Lakes, and in the lakes and seas of the northern part of Europe, where they run in large shoals along the saltwater coastline during spring migration to their spawning streams. In some western parts of the United States, smelt populations have greatly declined in recent decades, leading to their protection under the Endangered Species Act. The Delta Smelt, Hypomesus transpacificus, found in the Sacramento Delta of California, and the Columbia River smelt, " Eulachon", are both protected from harvest. Some species of smelt are among the few fish that sportsmen have been allowed to net, using hand-held dip nets, either along the coastline or in streams. Some sportsmen also ice fish for smelt. Smelt are often fried and eaten whole.
