#2122 · 🐟 fish
European Smelt
🇳🇱 Spiering ·Osmerus eperlanus
📍 4374 Zoutelande, Nederland
📍 London SE10 0JH, UK
📍 10160 Inkoo, Suomi
📍 Белое море, Лоухский район, Карелия, RU
📍 Baie de la Seine, Ablon, FR
📍 Medezh Yegorsk, Karelia, RU
📍 Кондопожский р-н, Респ. Карелия, Россия
10 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
- 1. © Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
- 2. © Irina Butorina · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 3. © Grigory Evtukh · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 4. 4374 Zoutelande, Nederland:© Herbert Herbinia · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 5. London SE10 0JH, UK:© Ru Brookes · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 6. 10160 Inkoo, Suomi:© panuaarre · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 7. Белое море, Лоухский район, Карелия, RU:© Stepan Markin · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 8. Baie de la Seine, Ablon, FR:© pattedetrille · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 9. Medezh Yegorsk, Karelia, RU:© Даниил · CC BY-NC 4.0
- 10. Кондопожский р-н, Респ. Карелия, Россия:© Перова Маргарита Дмитриевна · CC BY-NC 4.0
what is it?
The smelt or European smelt ( Osmerus eperlanus ) is a species of fish in the family Osmeridae.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 14 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist.
- 144 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Scientifically named in 1758 (268 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- European Smelt
- Nederlands
- Spiering
- scientific name
- Osmerus eperlanus
- class
- Actinopterygii
- order
- Osmeriformes
- family
- Osmeridae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 14
- sightings in Europe
- 111
- sightings worldwide
- 144
- GBIF records in NL
- 19,607
- weight
- —
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1758
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 108016, Wikidata Q840795, GBIF 2410854, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.