The hunt for horny smelt in Silicon Valley

February 5, 2020 Levi Lewis

Over this past winter, the OGFL @ UC Davis has been conducting intensive surveys to collect spawning aggregations of San Francisco’s threatened Longfin Smelt for captive propagation and physiological experiments. The crew would depart before sunrise and often stay in the field for 2-4 days for each of the 11 weekly trips throughout the spawning season.

Sacrificing a sprinkle donut for good luck.

Sampling was conducted during the winter, often following storms that attract reproductive Longfin Smelt to tidal wetlands. By February 2020, the OGFL successfully attained our goal of 200 age-2 fish, all of which were transported to the UC Davis Fish Culture and Conservation Laboratory (FCCL) where they were to be tagged, fattened up, and spawned. The hope is that we might better understand the physiology, development, and habitat needs of the earliest life stages of this imperiled species.

Many thanks to our captains (Micah Bisson, Rachel Fichman, Arthur Barros, Pat Crain), the many OGFL field crew, the FCCL team and members of the Ontogenetic Niche team, and Jim Ervin and Jim Hobbs for all forms of logistical support.

Entering a restored salt pond.

The RV LONSME.

Geographic strategizing; one of our hot spots.

The crew deploying the net.

Broodstock were carefully scooped, kept in water at all times, and never handled.

The shrimp trawlers have been hitting the area hard…we’re certain they are hammering the Longfin. Some of our battered specimens may have been discards from these trawlers.