Hypomesus pretiosus, or surf smelt, is a marine smelt with a range from Prince William Sound, Alaska to Long Beach, California, although its population declines south of San Francisco.

On average, surf smelt weigh about 10 to the pound.

[1] Spawning occurs in the nighttime, which is why it is sometimes called the night smelt,[2] peaking in the months from May to October.

Females lay from 1,500-30,000 sticky eggs in the surf zone per spawn, which they may do three to five or more times in a season.

[1] H. pretiosus feed on polychaete worms, larval fish and jellyfish, but they primarily feed on small crustaceans.