Freshly caught fish has a distinct cucumber-like smell, which led to this species getting a nickname of ‘ogurechnik’ (meaning ‘cucumber-like’).

Description. An anadromous species of up to 13 cm long. Resembles sprats. As all smelts, this species has low elongated bodies. Dorsal fin is short. These smelts have very small mouths with small teeth.

Status. Smelts are object of both fish trade and recreational fishing.  

Habitat and Behavior. Pond smelts live in freshwater regions of the eastern Arctic Ocean and the Asian part of the Pacific: in Kolyma, Anadyr, Kamchatka, Sakhalin lakes, Amur, Ussuri. They migrate to rivers for spawning in late April – early May. There are also autumn spawning migration groups in some rivers.

They do not go upstream very far. They spawn at sunset. They feed on dipteran insects.

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“There is small fish in Amur and all its tributes called pond, or small river, smelt. It is related to famous ‘ogurechnik’ living out in the sea and only coming to spawn to Amur in large pods.

These pond smelts, however, stay in freshwater all their short and simple lives that usually last for two years. Still, they cover impressive distance to and from their spawning grounds. They go along the mountain river banks in long, sometimes a few kilometer long, lines. One can fill a whole bucket in a few minutes using a net. It is also good simply to admire these midgets: just the size of a pointer finger, with silvery sides and yellow greenish back; and its scales are like jewels with their exquisite spotty edges. And they also smell like cucumbers.”

Extract taken from: Sergei Kucherenko, Fish At Its Home.