What Animal Lives Where

Where has the European smelt been recorded?

Osmerus eperlanus occurrence evidence comes from 150,837 records in 13 countries and territories, from 1871 to 2026. Most records come from Sweden.

OsmeriformesOsmeridaeOsmerus

Observation evidence passport

Evidence found

150,837 records across 13 countries and territories, 1871–2026.

Osmerus eperlanus · GBIF taxon key 2410854

Source coverage

CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.

Refreshed 2026-09-22. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.

What this means

The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: August.

5 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.

What this does not mean

repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.

A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.

Compare this animal’s observation pattern

When it is recorded

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: August. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.

Records over time

18712026

Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.

Where European smelt has been recorded

The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for European smelt. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.

PlaceRecordsShare
Sweden 116,617
Belgium 31,879
Norway 1,745
Germany 469
United States 41
Denmark 33
Netherlands 26
United Kingdom 12
Canada 9
Japan 2
Poland 2
Finland 1
Namibia 1

Related animals

Others in the family Osmeridae.

Capelin
Capelin
8,581 records
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.