Pond smelt

{{Short description|Species of fish}} {{Speciesbox | image= Pond smelt illustration.jpg | status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1 | status_ref = <ref name=IUCN>{{cite iucn |author=NatureServe. |year=2013 |title=''Hypomesus olidus'' |volume=2013 |article-number=e.T135708A18231181 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T135708A18231181.en |access-date=14 January 2023}}</ref> | taxon = Hypomesus olidus | authority = Pallas, 1814 }}

The '''pond smelt''' ('''''Hypomesus olidus''''') is a fresh and brackish water species of smelt. It is found in the East Asia (eastern Siberia, northeast China, Korea, Hokkaido) and the northwestern North America (Alaska, northwestern Canada).<ref name=IUCN/><ref name=FishBase/> It can grow to {{convert|20|cm|abbr=on}} total length.<ref name=FishBase/>

== Name == In Korea, ''H. olidus'' is most commonly known as ''bing-eo'' ({{Korean|hangul=빙어|hanja=氷魚|labels=no}}), meaning 'ice fish', although it has many different names depending on the region or the time period. It is recorded as ''dong-eo'' ({{Korean|hangul=동어|hanja=凍魚|labels=no}}) meaning 'frozen fish' in old literature, while the geography section of the Annals of King Sejong recorded it as ''gwa-eo'' ({{Korean|hangul=과어|hanja=瓜魚|labels=no}}), a local product of what is now the modern-day counties of Chongpyong and Kowon in North Korea; ''gwa-eo'' is named so because of its taste and shape resembling that of a melon.<ref name=":0">{{Citation |last=Park |first=Gu-byeong |script-title=ko:빙어 |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Korean Culture |url=https://encykorea.aks.ac.kr/Article/E0025308 |access-date=2025-04-26 |publisher=Academy of Korean Studies |language=ko}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |script-title=ko:빙어 |url=https://www.doopedia.co.kr/doopedia/master/master.do?_method=view&MAS_IDX=101013000845758 |access-date=2025-04-26 |website=Doosan Encyclopedia |language=ko}}</ref>

Among its various names, in the provinces of Jeolla and North Chungcheong, as well as the city of Daejeon, it is known as ''gong-eo'' ({{Korean|hangul=공어|hanja=公魚|labels=no}}), in Suwon it is ''mereuchi'' ({{Korean|hangul=메르치|labels=no}}), and in Hwacheon, Gwangju, and Sokcho, it is ''baeng-eo'' ({{Korean|hangul=뱅어|labels=no}}). The name ''bing-eo'' is coined by Silhak scholar Seo Yu-gu.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

== Description == ''H. olidus'' has a long and slender body, and there is an adipose fin between the back and the tail fin, which is transparent without patterns. A wide silvery-white vertical stripe runs through the middle of both sides of the body, while there is a dark black vertical line on the side.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

During spawning season, which spans from January to June, it moves up from the sea to the river. In 1925, the colonial government of Korea introduced ''bing-eo'' from the Ryongheung River ({{Korean|hangul=룡흥강|hanja=龍興江|labels=no}}), located in South Hamgyong Province, to reservoirs across the country. Well-known habitats include the reservoirs in Jecheon, Jangheung Reservoir in Ganghwa County, Incheon, as well as Soyang Lake, Chuncheon Lake in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province, and Hapcheon Lake in Hapcheong County, South Gyeongsang Province.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

It is a popular species in ice-fishing, boasting a soft meat, a mild taste, and no fishy smell. It can be prepared in various ways such as ''hoe'', braised, or marinated.<ref name=":1" />

==References== {{Reflist|30em|refs= <ref name=FishBase>{{FishBase |genus=Hypomesus |species=olidus |month=August |year=2022}}</ref> }}

Category:Hypomesus Category:Fish of the Pacific Ocean Category:Freshwater fish of the Arctic Category:Freshwater fish of Asia Category:Freshwater fish of North America Category:Freshwater fish of China Category:Fish of Japan Category:Fish of Korea Category:Fish of Russia Category:Freshwater fish of the United States Category:Fish described in 1814 Category:Taxa named by Peter Simon Pallas