sweetfish

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sweetfish

fish

Also known as: Plecoglossus altivelis, ai, ayu

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

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Also called:: ai, or ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis)

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sweetfish, delicately flavoured marine fish that migrates upstream to spawn in clear waters. It is found in East Asia and is of the family Osmeridae. The sweetfish is light yellow or olive-coloured, about 30 cm (1 foot) long, and similar to a small trout in appearance. It is distinguished by a ridged tongue, a sail-like dorsal fin, and teeth arranged on saw-edged plates at the sides of the jaws. In Japan tame cormorants are used to catch the fish as it swims upriver.

This article was most recently revised and updated by John P. Rafferty.