Smitt studied in Lund and Uppsala where he received his doctorate in 1863. In 1861 and 1868 He participated in the Swedish expeditions to Svalbard. In 1871 he was appointed professor at the Swedish Museum of Natural History, where he was in charge of the Department of Vertebrates. From 1879 he also taught zoology at Stockholm University.
Smitt produced both popular works and many scientific papers. Besides his scientific work, Smitt also championed the modernization of the techniques herring fisheries.
^Fries, Bengt Fredrik; Ekström, C. U.; Sundevall, Carl Jacob; Wright, Wilhelm von; Smitt, Fredrik Adam (April 25, 1892). "A history of Scandinavian fishes". Stockholm : P.A. Norstedt & söner – via Internet Archive.
This article contains content from the Owl Edition of Nordisk familjebok, a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1904 and 1926, now in the public domain.