Which seas is Big-scale sand smelt found in?

In our records Big-scale sand smelt appears in these seas: Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean, North Aegean & Thrace — Greece, Central & South Aegean — Greece, Ionian Sea — Greece, Crete & Libyan Sea — Greece, Tyrrhenian Sea — Italy, Adriatic — Italy, Ionian Sea — Italy, Strait of Sicily — Italy, Sardinian Sea — Italy, Atlantic Ocean — Spain, Mediterranean — Spain, Cantabrian Sea — Spain, Balearic Sea — Spain, Alboran Sea — Spain, Gulf of Cádiz — Spain, Strait of Gibraltar — Spain.

In which months is Big-scale sand smelt at its peak?

Peak periods by sea: Sea of Marmara all year; Black Sea all year; Aegean Sea all year; Mediterranean all year; North Aegean & Thrace — Greece October–April; Central & South Aegean — Greece October–April; Ionian Sea — Greece October–April; Crete & Libyan Sea — Greece September–June; Tyrrhenian Sea — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Sardinian Sea — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Adriatic — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Ionian Sea — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Strait of Sicily — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Mediterranean — Spain April, May, June, September, October; Alboran Sea — Spain April, May, June, September, October; Balearic Sea — Spain April, May, June, September, October; Gulf of Cádiz — Spain April, May, June, September, October; Atlantic Ocean — Spain March, April, May, August, September; Cantabrian Sea — Spain March, April, May, August, September; Strait of Gibraltar — Spain April, May, June, September, October.

Which bait is Big-scale sand smelt caught with?

Baits and lures on record: bread, small worm, European anchovy, Atlantic horse mackerel, shrimp, micro sabiki, European sprat, European sardine, mamun, sülünez, European squid.

Big-scale sand smelt

Atherina boyeri

Gümüş balığı
Çamuka

Peak this month

Family: Atherinidae
Order: Atheriniformes
Habitat: shallow shore/lagoon
Seas: Sea of Marmara, Black Sea, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean
Bait: bread, small worm · micro sabiki
Technique: float fishing, LRF

Big-scale sand smelt — (c) Donald Davesne, some rights reserved (CC BY) · source

Legal status

The regulation holds no separate minimum size or closed season entry for this species. The provisions for Türkiye as a whole apply.

Where is Big-scale sand smelt caught?

Peak months by sea.

Black Sea

peak this month

Natural bait: bread, small worm; regional support: European anchovy / European sprat
Lure: micro sabiki
Technique: Bolognese

Sea of Marmara

peak this month

Natural bait: bread, small worm; regional support: European anchovy / Atlantic horse mackerel / shrimp
Lure: micro sabiki
Technique: Bolognese

Aegean Sea

peak this month

Natural bait: bread, small worm; regional support: European sardine / mamun / sülünez
Lure: micro sabiki
Technique: Bolognese

Mediterranean

peak this month

Natural bait: bread, small worm; regional support: European sardine / European squid / shrimp
Lure: micro sabiki
Technique: Bolognese

Bait and technique

Habitat: shallow shore/lagoon
Fishing technique: float fishing, LRF
Natural baits: bread, small worm
Lures: micro sabiki

How is Big-scale sand smelt caught?

The big-scale sand smelt moves in shoals along shallow shores and in lagoons; in our records it looks productive all year round in the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea, the Aegean and the Mediterranean. Fishing for it is fine-tackle work: a sensitive float rig or a Bolognese rod, thin line and a small-size hook are the typical choice. A micro sabiki on LRF tackle works too, because the fish reacts to bright, small targets. Among natural baits, breadcrumb and small worm come first. The supporting bait changes from sea to sea: in the Black Sea anchovy and sprat, in the Sea of Marmara anchovy, horse mackerel and shrimp, in the Aegean sardine, mamun (a small crab) and sülünez (a shellfish bait), in the Mediterranean sardine, squid and shrimp are on record. Scattering a little bread crumb, but scattering it steadily, is the classic way to hold the shoal on the spot. Because the fish swims close to the surface, the float is most often set between half a metre and a metre deep. Two limits should not be skipped. When you use a sabiki, do not go over the number of hooks the amateur communiqué allows per line; there is an upper size limit for bait fish as well, and anything above it counts as a catchable fish. Some lagoons and fish weirs are closed to fishing by the communiqué or are under lease — before you pick a spot, look at the closed-area and closed-season list for your region.

How is Big-scale sand smelt cooked?

How is the big-scale sand smelt cleaned? The fish is small, so the job is short — but it is not skipped: the scales are rubbed off with salt, the belly is emptied with a finger, then it is washed in plenty of water and drained. The head and the bones are usually left in; the fish is cooked whole and eaten bones and all. The most common method is to coat it in cornmeal or wheat flour and fry it briefly in hot oil. In one academic trial the whole fish was fried in sunflower oil at 190 °C for three minutes; the same study reports that frying raised the fat in the flesh about sevenfold, with a slight drop in EPA and DHA and a rise in oxidation. Anyone who wants to cook it with less oil can go to the oven instead. Avoid preparations that get no heat treatment. Marinating and raw salting are, by definition, uncooked products; they call for food-safety handling of their own and are not a preparation to try at home.

Big-scale sand smelt: benefits and nutritional value

Two points stand out when the benefits of the big-scale sand smelt come up: its low fat content, and the fact that the fish is eaten whole, bones and all. A seasonal study on samples from the Çekerek Dam in Türkiye measured protein at 15.64 – 17.00% and fat at 1.95 – 2.86% in the muscle tissue. So it is a low-fat, protein-heavy fish — but not a “fat-free” one. The same study also gives the shares within total fatty acids: EPA 5.59 – 7.22%, DHA 12.33 – 19.77%, total polyunsaturated fatty acids 28.29 – 36.11%. The highest EPA and DHA were measured in the spring samples. These percentages show the distribution inside the fish's own fat; the total fat of the fish stays around the 2% figure above. FishBase reports 134 mg of calcium per 100 grams for Atherina boyeri (range 71 – 293 mg), and because the fish is eaten with its bones, most of that value reaches the plate. The figures here are nutrient content only; they carry no claim of preventing or treating disease. Because the measurements come from a freshwater population, the ratios can come out differently in a sea-caught fish. And frying, the most common preparation, raises the fat in the flesh markedly.

Frequently asked questions

Which seas is Big-scale sand smelt found in?: In our records Big-scale sand smelt appears in these seas: Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea, Mediterranean, North Aegean & Thrace — Greece, Central & South Aegean — Greece, Ionian Sea — Greece, Crete & Libyan Sea — Greece, Tyrrhenian Sea — Italy, Adriatic — Italy, Ionian Sea — Italy, Strait of Sicily — Italy, Sardinian Sea — Italy, Atlantic Ocean — Spain, Mediterranean — Spain, Cantabrian Sea — Spain, Balearic Sea — Spain, Alboran Sea — Spain, Gulf of Cádiz — Spain, Strait of Gibraltar — Spain.
In which months is Big-scale sand smelt at its peak?: Peak periods by sea: Sea of Marmara all year; Black Sea all year; Aegean Sea all year; Mediterranean all year; North Aegean & Thrace — Greece October–April; Central & South Aegean — Greece October–April; Ionian Sea — Greece October–April; Crete & Libyan Sea — Greece September–June; Tyrrhenian Sea — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Sardinian Sea — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Adriatic — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Ionian Sea — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Strait of Sicily — Italy April, May, June, September, October; Mediterranean — Spain April, May, June, September, October; Alboran Sea — Spain April, May, June, September, October; Balearic Sea — Spain April, May, June, September, October; Gulf of Cádiz — Spain April, May, June, September, October; Atlantic Ocean — Spain March, April, May, August, September; Cantabrian Sea — Spain March, April, May, August, September; Strait of Gibraltar — Spain April, May, June, September, October.
Which bait is Big-scale sand smelt caught with?: Baits and lures on record: bread, small worm, European anchovy, Atlantic horse mackerel, shrimp, micro sabiki, European sprat, European sardine, mamun, sülünez, European squid.