The smelt has a funny name. My Swedish grandmother liked to tell a joke about Lars coming home from the fish market.

"What did you buy?" asked Inga.

"I got two haddock and one smelt," said Lars.

"Well why didn't you take it back?" she said.

The smelt, with its unglamorous name, is nonetheless a pretty fish, an iridescent rainbow dart, and it plays a vital role in the lives of many other fish, including salmon and trout. It feeds and fattens them, that their size and numbers may increase. And we anglers like that -- fish aplenty, and big fat ones at that.

So why haven't we taken better care of the smelt? The Friends of Richardson group is trying to help, beating the drum for regulations closing the smelt fishery on Upper and Lower Richardson and their tributaries, with the exception of hook-and-line fishing on the lakes. In a mailing to members, FoR cited "angler and trapnet surveys" which found that the size and weight of salmon in the lakes, and the famous Upper Dam Pool, have decreased. State biologists say there's a one-to-one correspondence between the shrinking salmon and the shrinking smelt population.

I've caught a number of salmon in the Upper Dam Pool, and I thought they were healthy fish in great fighting trim -- until I caught a number of salmon in the Big Eddy on the West Branch of the Penobscot in June. Those salmon seemed fatter by half than the home-pool fish. Anecdotal evidence, I know, but there it is.

FoR is appealing for public support for the smelt regulations on the Richardsons. The hour is late -- if you do wish to add your weight to the proposal, e-mail Andrea Erskine at the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, andrea.erskine@maine.gov. The more voices that pipe up in favor, the more inclined state officials are to act.

The Friends of Richardson will be holding their annual meeting on this coming Sunday, August 6, at the South Arm campground, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. On the agenda are not only smelts, but milfoil and other invasive species, and updates on the health of the lakes and the Rapid River. If you'd like to attend, bring something for the potluck lunch. For directions call 666-3376.