Rainbow Smelt
Introduction
In 2004, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration listed the rainbow smelt as a federal Species of Concern. The rainbow smelt is a small fish that lives in estuaries and offshore waters, and spawns in shallow freshwater streams each spring. Its numbers have dropped dramatically during the last fifteen to twenty years for reasons that are not well understood.
Using scientific information from our collaborative efforts, the state agencies of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts developed a regional conservation and restoration plan for rainbow smelt (pdf file, 100 pages, 1.8 MB). Each state is determining the most important threats from water quality, fishing pressure, or habitat alteration facing smelt populations in their area. We are also identifying regional threats, potentially including rising ocean temperature and marine bycatch, and site-specific threats and management recommendations, such as redesigning stream culverts to allow fish passage.
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Species Information
- Rainbow smelt Information and regional monitoring efforts (pdf file, 4 pages, 7.5 MB)
- Basic rainbow smelt information from "Do You Know Your Catch?"
- Rainbow smelt photos from NOAA
- Maine sport fishing regulations for sea-run fish, including smelt
- Maine smelt regulations - See Chapter 40
Ice Fishing Information
Technical Reports and Smelt Conservation Plan
- Regional Conservation Plan for Anadromous Rainbow Smelt in the U.S. Gulf of Maine, Enterline et al. 2012 (pdf file, 100 pages, 1.8 MB)
- Fourth North American Workshop on Rainbow Smelt: Extended Abstract Proceedings, Wood et al. 2012 (pdf file, 88 pages, 2.3 MB)
- An Evaluation of the Use of Egg Transfers and Habitat Restoration to Establish an Anadromous Rainbow Smelt Spawning Population, Chase et al. 2008 (pdf file, 20 pages)
- Rainbow Smelt (Osmerus mordax) Spawning Habitat in the Weymouth- Fore River, Chase and Childs 2002 (pdf file, 34 pages)
- Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) spawning habitat on the Gulf of Maine coast of Massachusetts, Chase 2006 (pdf file, 180 pages)
Monitoring Methods and Field Protocols
- Maine Presence/Absence Monitoring Instructions (pdf file, 3 pages)
- Maine Presence/Absence Monitoring Field Data Sheet (pdf file, 1 page)
- Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for Water Quality Measurements Conducted for Diadromous Fish Habitat Monitoring, Chase 2010 (pdf file, 71 pages, 1.1 MB)
- Maine Fyke Net Monitoring Field Protocol (pdf file, 2 pages)
Final Report for 2007-2012 NMFS Species of Concern Grant
Any information or data presented in this Final Report or its Appendices should not be replicated or used without the permission of the Maine Dept. of Marine Resources.
- Final report text (PDF file, 41 pages, 2 MB)
- Appendices
- A - A Regional Conservation Plan for Anadromous Rainbow Smelt in the U.S. Gulf of Maine (PDF file, 100 pages, 1.8 MB)
- B1 - ?Rainbow Smelt: An Imperiled Fish in a Changing World? - Informational pamphlet about rainbow smelt biology, population trends, threats, and regional monitoring efforts (PDF file, 4 pages, 7.5 MB)
- B2 - ?Multi-State Collaborative to Develop and Implement
a Conservation Program for Rainbow Smelt? - Informational pamphlet (PDF file, 2 pages, 2.1 MB) - C - State of Massachusetts Revised Regulations Concerning Rainbow Smelt (PDF file, 1 page)
- D - State of Maine Revised Regulations Concerning Rainbow Smelt (PDF file, 3 pages)
- E - The Fourth North American Workshop on Rainbow Smelt Extended Abstract Proceedings (PDF file, 88 pages, 2.3 MB)
- F - Quality Assurance Program Plan (QAPP) for Water Quality Measurements Conducted for Diadromous Fish Habitat Monitoring (PDF file, 71 pages, 1.1 MB)
- G - Regional fyke net monitoring field protocol (PDF file, 2 pages)
- H - Regional standardized methods for rainbow smelt scale collection, preparation, and ageing (PDF file, 5 pages)
- I - A Regional Conservation Plan for Atlantic Sturgeon in the U. S. Gulf of Maine (PDF file, 37 pages)
- J - Summary of Maine Atlantic sturgeon data: Description of monitoring 1977-2001 and 2009-2011 in the Kennebec and Merrymeeting Bay Estuary System (PDF file, 17 pages, 1.1 MB)
- K - List of available datasets (PDF file, 3 pages)
- L - Maine Dept. of Marine Resources Creel Survey Protocol (PDF file, 1 page)
- M - Kennebec River Ichthyoplankton Report (PDF file, 28 pages, 1.7 MB)
- N - University of New Hampshire Final Reports (PDF file, 28 pages)
- O - Biomonitoring Final Report (PDF file, 3 pages)
- P - Fish Health Screening and Pathology Final Report (PDF file, 11 pages)
- Q - Toxic Contaminants and Polychlorinated Biphenyl (PCB) Results and Lab Reports
- Contaminants Report 1 (PDF file, 35 pages)
- Contaminants Report 2 (PDF file, 18 pages)
- Contaminants Report 3 (PDF file, 392 pages, 3 MB)
- Contaminants Report 4 (PDF file, 410 pages, 3.4 MB)
- Contaminants Report 5 (PDF file, 131 pages, 1.6 MB)
- Contaminants Report 6 (PDF file, 70 pages, 1 MB)
- Contaminants Report 7 (PDF file, 22 pages, 1 MB)
Maine DMR Presentations
- Rainbow smelt ageing methods ? American Fisheries Society, 2010 (pdf file, 18 slides)
- Species of Concern Grant Project Description ? Diadromous Species Restoration Research Network, 2011 (pdf file, 25 slides)
- Monitoring Within-Season Repeat Spawning ? Fourth North American Workshop on Rainbow Smelt, 2011 (pdf file, 23 slides)
- Recent range changes by rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) and current annual migrations, Diadromous Species Restoration Research Network, 2013 pdf file, 35 slides)