BATH — The Kennebec Estuary Land Trust is scheduled to host a talk by Dr. Danielle Frechette, a biologist at the Maine Department of Marine Resources, on the lives of rainbow smelt at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 3.

The virtual evening lecture will provide insights into the biology, ecology, behavior and natural history of the fish, and the lecture will include a question and answer portion.

During the colder months, smelt congregate in schools near their spring spawning tributaries and clusters of fishing shacks often dot the ice above them. Along with drawing people out to brave the winter cold, these small silvery fish play an important role in Maine’s estuaries and food webs. They are one of the few important species of sea-run fish that migrate between fresh and saltwater, according to a news release from the trust.

Frechette completed her doctorate studies at the Eau Terre Environnement Centre, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique in 2019. Her research focuses on salmon ecology and migration, conservation translocation, and population dynamics. She is also a principal investigator in the Gulf of Maine Research Institute’s Smelt Spawning project, which hopes to answer the question: where are anadromous smelt spawning in Maine?

The presentation will highlight opportunities for people to get involved as volunteer citizen scientists in this study.

Registration is free and required in order to receive the Zoom link for the presentation. The Zoom link will be sent out to registrants before the event.

For more information and to sign up, visit kennebecestuary.org or call 207-442-8400.