Stint

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Stint
Stint Portrait-kl.jpg

Smelt ( Osmerus eperlanus )

Systematics
Cohort : Euteleosteomorpha
Sub-cohort : Stomiati
Order : Smelt-like (Osmeriformes)
Family : Smelt (Osmeridae)
Genre : Osmerus
Type : Stint
Scientific name
Osmerus eperlanus
( Linnaeus , 1758)
Stint on the hook
Smelts are about six inches long
Fried smelt
Dried smelt

The smelt or European smelt ( Osmerus eperlanus ) is a fish from the order of the smelt-like fish .

Shape and appearance

The body is usually 15 to 18, at most 30 centimeters long, slim and slightly flattened on the sides. Smelts have a slightly translucent body. The back and sides are gray-green to pink, the flanks shiny silver. The caudal fin has a dark edge. The stint can live up to six years. The intense smell reminiscent of fresh cucumbers is peculiar.

Habitat and way of life

The smelt is a marine fish found in the coastal waters of Europe from the Baltic Sea to the Bay of Biscay . A freshwater form, the inland smelt, is common in the great lakes of Northern Europe.

The smelts gather for spawning and migrate into the lower reaches of the great rivers to spawn here over sandy areas. This happens in late February to March when the water is over 9 ° C. The number of eggs per female can be up to 40,000. After spawning, mass deaths often occur. The food of the smelt consists mainly of small plankton crabs , bottom animals and also juvenile fish of their own species.

Smelt as a food fish

Commercial aspect

During the spawning season, the smelt can easily be caught with nets. Outside the spawning season in autumn, the smelts come to the harbors on the North Sea coast, where they are caught with a so-called herring paternoster.

In earlier times, smelt could be caught in large quantities in rivers, using washing baskets instead of nets. In Hamburg , the place name Stintfang indicates this, and in Lüneburg there is even a bar mile named after the fish (Stintmarkt). In the last few decades, the smelt was of little commercial importance, as it has only been found in small numbers in the polluted rivers and has therefore been little in demand. As the rivers become cleaner, they are being caught again in larger numbers by small fisheries . Restaurants that offer this fish seasonally as a culinary specialty benefit from the catch and supply of the smelt . Some of these restaurants are successfully run by the smelt fishermen themselves. However, human consumption only accounts for the smallest part of economic importance. Its importance in the aquarium hobby is much higher . In northern Germany and the Benelux countries, smelts are bred en masse in huge facilities in order to serve as food fish for all kinds of predatory fish kept as pets or in zoos (from sunfish to piranha ), as well as some reptile species (such as the yellow-cheeked turtle ). It is precisely because of the aforementioned intense smell of smelt that they are also used to accustom predatory fish that prefer live food to frozen food . Immediately after spawning, the young smelts, about 5–10 centimeters long, are killed, frozen and brought to wholesalers. From there they get to the pet dealers and ultimately to the consumers.

Culinary aspect

Although it is quite small, it is valued as a food fish . The head is usually removed, but the tail and bones are not, as they are extremely tender. Smelt is usually eaten by hand. The fish is mostly baked, but in northern Germany it is traditionally turned in rye flour and then fried in butter and bacon. Fried potatoes, potato salad and applesauce are served as a side dish.

The smelt is also smoked or how Brathering sour inserted offered. However, the catch is decreasing.

Cultural aspect

The city of Lüneburg put the stint at the center of its marketing concept in 2007. Around 500 stint sculptures - designed by Lüneburg artists, organizations, companies, schools, kindergartens and private individuals - were exhibited throughout the city center. There were also numerous events related to the smelt as well as culinary offers. The smelt figurines were auctioned for charity in the fall.

In Mikołajki there is a stint stallion , a sculpture that symbolizes the king of the smelt. There is a legend associated with it.

Hazardous situation

The stint is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN) in the Red List of Endangered Species and classified as Least Concern . Locally, however, there are population threats, mainly due to water pollution and dammed rivers. Dams form barriers and hinder spawning trains. The smelt is becoming increasingly rare in the Elbe.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tom Dieck: Pottkieker. 50 classic north German dishes with a history . Koehler, Hamburg 2013, ISBN 978-3-7822-1079-9 , pp. 34-35 .
  2. ↑ Stint is becoming rarer: “All fish are gone”: An Elbe fisherman sees no more chance for his guild
  3. ↑ a b Osmerus eperlanus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2009. Posted by: Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M., 2008. Accessed on March 5 of 2010.
  4. ↑ Hamburg stint fisherman complains: "The Elbe is dead"

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