Eulachon

EULACHON  () (Thaleichthys pacificus), also known as oolichan and by a variety of other spellings, is a member of the SMELT family. Eulachon are thin, elongated, silvery fish that spawn in large numbers each spring in the lower reaches of several major coastal RIVERS from Alaska to northern California. In BC they have been found spawning in 33 rivers, though they may only use 14 or 15 on a regular basis. Upon hatching they are immediately flushed out to sea. Little is known about their larval or juvenile stages. During their 3- to 4-year lifespan they grow to a length of 20 cm. Eulachon have been an important food resource for FIRST NATIONS for thousands of years. They were rendered to produce oil, or grease, which was used as a condiment, a preservative, a medicine and a valuable trade item. They are so oily that a dried fish will burn like a candle, which accounts for their nickname, candlefish. Ancient trade routes known as grease TRAILS linked coastal fishing sites to Interior groups. A commercial gillnet fishery began on the NASS R in 1877 and continued to the 1940s. Spawning returns began to fluctuate greatly in the 1990s and most runs have shown a marked decrease from historical levels. Concerns over low and declining abundance closed the eulachon fishery on the FRASER R in 1997. See also FISHING, ABORIGINAL; FISHING, COMMERCIAL.