Chapters 3.7

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Eulachon.jpg

Suggested citation for this chapter.

Legge,T. (2022) Fish And Freshwater/Marine Invertebrates. In The Student Encyclopedia of Canadian Indigenous Foods. Editor, M.N. Raizada, University of Guelph, Canada. http://www.firstnationsfoods.org/

Introduction to Eulachon Fish

Our world looks a lot different than it did when Indigenous tribes were the primary peoples of North America, and so does the food we consume. New studies come up by the day about new exotic health foods, but amidst this, it is important for Canadians to reflect on the medicine and foods that predated modern science and kept North America alive. Some of these foods are still with us today, but others, like Eulachon fish, have diminished in popularity and importance to everyday life. Eulachon fish are a species of smelt fished in the Pacific North Americas (Gustafson et al., 2011). These fish were significant to multiple Indigenous tribes due to their versatility as a food, light source, pharmaceutical, and skin care item. In addition to the plethora of functional uses, these fish were also a sacred item to many tribes on account of their oil richness. Eulachon were sometimes referred to as “Candlefish” due to their ability to be dried and ignited. While this species was plentiful at one time, now the population is scarce and serves as a relic of Indigenous times.

Figure 1: Eulachon Fish"The magical fish" by Sam Beebe is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Physiology and Habitat

Thaleichthys pacificus is an anadromous smelt fish, meaning they spend the majority of their adult life in saline ocean water before migrating to freshwater rivers for reproduction (Apsens et al., 2020). Populations span from northern California to southwest Alaska, each population in varying stages of endangerment and risk (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, 2022). In Canada, we have 3 populations of Eulachon which are all quickly declining in population (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.). These fish mature to only be 6-10 inches in length, and have a distinct countershading of their gills, which are blue on the top and silver below (NOAA Fisheries, 2022). Eulachon fish are semelparous, meaning they die after spawning, when females broadcast their eggs in freshwater rivers (Apsens et al.2020). These fish also serve an essential niche in their ecosystems as prey, often showing a positive population correlation with species known to eat them (Apsens et al., 2020).

Environmental Status of Eulachon Population

There is evidence that the Eulachon population is in danger, due to the record low spawning numbers that have been seen in recent years (Government of Canada, 2016). The population of Eulachon that exists now is not the size of the one that would have sustained Indigenous peoples in the 1800s (Government of Canada, 2016). Low spawning numbers can potentially be attributed to climate change, predation, by-catch, and water diversions that change flow timing and intensity in rivers, occurring in both their freshwater and marine habitats (Gustafson et al., 2011). The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada has assessed the central Pacific coast population of Eulachon as endangered, despite efforts by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to protect the species dating back to 1995 (Government of Canada, 2016). Pictured below is the occurrence map of the Eulachon population as it exists currently. While it is not apparent how the Eulachon population can be restored, it is important for Indigenous communities in coastal regions that this life-sustaining fish remains present in the rivers during spawning time.

Figure 2: Eulachon Occurrence Map. Map based on occurrence records for Eulachon fish available through Global Biodiversity Information Facility Canada

Indigenous Groups Involved

The tribes that benefitted most from Eulachon fishing are the ones that were located along the coast and coastal river networks due to the habitat of the Eulachon fish. In Canada, these are now known as the tribes of British Columbia, although many of the tribes were located in present-day United States of America. In the Arctic and subarctic, the tribes that fished Eulachon were the Inuit, Gwich-in, and Tutchone (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.). On the Northwest Pacific coast, an abundance of tribes fished Eulachon, including Tlingit, Quileute, Chinook, Haida, Bella Coola (Nuxalk), Central Salish, Nass-Gitksan, Tsimshian, Haisla, Heiltsuk, Kwakiutl, Nootkan, and Interior Salish (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.). The Nuxalk First Nation currently fishes Eulachon from the Nass River, because the Bella Coola river where they are located doesn’t have a big enough run to fish (McKinnon, 2018).

Figure 3: Eulachon fish being prepared by Indigenous peoples"Twin sisters Celina and Audry working on oolichan" by Sam Beebe is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Cultural Importance and Usage

Eulachon fish were consumed and used in many diverse ways in Indigenous communities. When the fish is dried whole, it has enough oil content that it can be ignited and used as a light source, hence the nickname “Candlefish” (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.). In addition to this, the fish were consumed in a variety of ways, the most common being as a meat and as an oil (Apsens et al., 2020). The oil is produced by laying fish in a cedar box to ferment for several days, after which they are cooked at a precise temperature to release the grease (McKinnon, 2018). The actual meat of the fish was prepared differently depending on preference and resources, including dried, salted, boiled, fried, baked, raw, and smoked or barbequed (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.). In addition to consuming Eulachon as a food staple, the oil of the fish was also consumed for medicinal purposes to cure a variety of ailments. The oil could be rubbed on the skin to treat rashes, and consumed to treat tuberculosis, the flu, and other internal diseases (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.). Indigenous peoples considered Eulachon a delicacy not only because of its nutritious properties, but because the fish returned to the rivers to spawn at a time of the year when food reserves were running low (Apsens et al., 2020).

Figure 4: Fish were placed on a stick to ferment before oil extraction"Smokehouse Alder wood and oolichan" by Sam Beebe is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Nutritional Value

Eulachon fish are an extremely nutritious food source, especially when their small size is taken into account. The entire fish is comprised of 20% fat, which is five times more than other fish its size, and the highest of all marine fish (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.). The caloric content varies depending on the preparation method, but is generally anywhere between 116 and 969 calories per hundred gram serving (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.). Only 150mL of the oil can supply half of a person’s energy needs for a day (Apsens et al., 2020). The oil could also be used to add nutritional value to other foods like fruits, roots, and herbs by preserving them in the oil (Kuhnlein and Humphries, n.d.).

Benefits and Limitations

Many of the limitations around consuming Eulachon products currently relate to the environmental status of the fish, and how it can only be fished in small amounts to preserve the population. In addition to this, the current methods of preserving Eulachon oil are labour-intensive and very precise. It is a skill that few people understand, but it takes an entire community to do when the fish return to the rivers (McKinnon, 2018). Benefits of Eulachon include the shelf stability of the dried meat and oil (when prepared properly), the highly nutritious fat components, the assets they bring to Indigenous communities, and the ecological niche it serves in marine and river ecosystems. With a balance between benefits and limitations, it can be arrived at that Eulachon fish are not necessarily a solution to a greater problem, but they are important in the roles that they serve in our social and environmental systems.

Conclusion

It is evident that there was a time when Eulachon fish were a staple of the Coastal North American diet. Now, as populations decline and foods change, we see them more as a scarce but integral part of the Coastal Pacific ecosystem. As we contemplate the future of food in the world, with concepts like nutrition and sustainability being constantly redefined, many dieticians look back into the past to predict the future. A common theory about food is that as humans, foods that are considered “nutritious” are those that our ancestors bodies adapted to eat. With a circular approach to consumption, we can bring Eulachon back into our diets and, more importantly, into our culture.

References

1. Apsens, S., A. Waldo, and J. Belt. (2020). Eulachon: A little fish with many names and a big ecological impact. Alaska Park Science 19(1): 42-47.

2. Environment and Climate Change Canada. (2016, August 31). Eulachon (central Pacific coast population): consultations on listing under the Species at Risk Act. Canada.ca. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/species-risk-public-registry/consultation-documents/eulachon-listing.html

3. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Eulachon occurrence map (photo). Retrieved November 8, 2022, from https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/map?q=eulachon

4. Gustafson, R, et al. (29 March, 2011). Conservation status of Eulachon in the California Current. FISH and FISHERIES 13, 121-138. 10.1111/j.1467-2979.2011.00418.x

5. Kuhnlein, H.V. and M.M. Humphries. (2017). Traditional Animal Foods of Indigenous Peoples of Northern North America. Centre for Indigenous Peoples’ Nutrition and Environment, McGill University, Montreal. Retrieved November 8, 2022 from http://traditionalanimalfoods.org/fish/searun-fish/page.aspx?id=6448

6. McKinnon, A. (2018, June 27). Central Coast First Nation preserves eulachon grease tradition as the fish returns to Bella Coola River. CBC news BritishColumbia. Retrieved November 10, 2022, from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bella-coola-eulachon-grease-project-revives-tradition-1.4722780

7. "Smokehouse Alder wood and oolichan" by Sam Beebe is licensed under CC BY 2.0. (Photo)

8. "The magical fish" by Sam Beebe is licensed under CC BY 2.0. (Photo) "Twin sisters Celina and Audry working on oolichan" by Sam Beebe is licensed under CC BY 2.0. (Photo)