smolt

noun \ ˈsmōlt \

|Updated on: 17 May 2018

Definition of smolt

: a young salmon or sea trout about two years old that is at the stage of development when it assumes the silvery color of the adult and is ready to migrate to the sea

Recent Examples of smolt from the Web

Hatchery steelhead smolts are expected to be released early this week, which should lead to good striper fishing river wide.

— sacbee, "Fishing line: Steelhead action improves on American River | The Sacramento Bee," 29 Jan. 2018
Many of these studies showed our out-migrating smolt were not surviving within months of entering the marine environment.

— sam cotten, Anchorage Daily News, "Why the state decided to shut down or restrict king salmon fishing in the Susitna River drainage," 14 Mar. 2018
While specific causes have not been identified, the department is confident that our statewide downturn in productivity can point directly back at smolt survival after entering the ocean.

— sam cotten, Anchorage Daily News, "Why the state decided to shut down or restrict king salmon fishing in the Susitna River drainage," 14 Mar. 2018
Minnows tend to work best in the mornings and then swimbaits in the evenings as the stripers feed on the steelhead smolts.

— sacbee, "Fishing line: Steelhead action improves on American River | The Sacramento Bee," 29 Jan. 2018
Meanwhile, the Oregon Legislature is mulling a $350,000 supplemental budget request to operate Leaburg Hatchery for another year and produce a quarter million spring chinook salmon smolts to inject into the upper Willamette River system.

— shane dixon kavanaugh, OregonLive.com, "OSU students vote to oust graduate rep accused of hate crime," 16 Feb. 2018
Spawning salmon means salmon smolt, and there aren't a lot of things that rainbows and char like to eat more.

— steve meyer, Anchorage Daily News, "Solitude, big rainbows are the reward for trekking to Kenai refuge’s wilderness lakes," 9 Jan. 2018
Fry and smolts almost immediately begin using the trees for protection from larger fish and birds.

— bill monroe, OregonLive.com, "Free Fishing holiday weekend scrapped; changed to February dates," 11 Dec. 2017
Schools of smolt salmon flicker like quicksilver, preparing for their journey out to sea.

— neil ever osborne, Smithsonian, "A Paradise for Grizzly Bears Gets an Up-Close Look," 24 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'smolt.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.