Eulachan

/ˈjuːləˌtʃæn/ noun

Definition

A small smelt fish found on the Pacific coast of North America, also called candlefish because it's so oily it can be burned like a candle.

Etymology

From Chinook or other Pacific Northwest Indigenous languages, reflecting the long history of these fish being important to coastal Indigenous peoples.

Kelly Says

Eulachans were so important to Pacific Northwest tribes that they developed entire cultures around harvesting and trading them—their oil was literally valuable as a light source and traded like currency!

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