PORTLAND, Maine (AP) - Ice fishing for smelts is a winter tradition in Maine, where the small fish are fried and eaten whole.
Fishermen say this smelt-fishing season has been a robust one after the mild winter last year produced hardly any smelts. The ice has been thick enough for fishing and smelts have been abundant.
Smelts are part of many culinary traditions - from using their eggs in sushi to the practice among Italian-American families of serving them with Christmas Eve dinner.
But the nationwide catch has plummeted in recent years. And the stock in Maine remains far below historical levels. Federal officials say contributing to the decline is the disruption of habitat and warming waters with climate change.
Maine officials are optimistic that measures taken to rebuild the population will succeed.