Claim: The sand smelt is a species of marine fish of the family Atherinidae, and are small, pelagic fishes which are found in coastal areas and in estuaries, and swim out to the Solent, which is the strait that separates the Isle of Wight from Great Britain.
Evidence: The sand smelt (Atherina presbyter) is a species of marine fish of the family Atherinidae, common in the northeastern Atlantic from the Danish straits, where it is rare, and Scotland to the Canary Islands and the western Mediterranean Sea. Sand smelt are small, pelagic fishes which are found in coastal areas and in estuaries. A population living around the entrance to Southampton water was found to spawn in the April–June period within inshore algae beds before moving out into the deeper waters of the Solent. The Solent (/ˈsoʊlənt/ SOH-lənt) is the strait that separates the Isle of Wight from Great Britain.