Looking back into past issues of Coast Mountain News to select this issue’s historical photo I saw a short story that caught my eye.
It was about eulachon (Sputc) and why they are so shiny.
Written by eight-year-old Chelsea Baribeau, it was prefaced with an editorial comment about fishing for the small silver fish being a time-honoured tradition for First Nations people dating back thousands of years.
Here is Chelsea’s story.
Once upon a time there was a green oolichan (her spelling). All the fish in the sea teased the oolichan because it was such an ugly colour.
So one day she went to the king, who was the salmon, of course.
“Oh salmon, all the fish in the sea tease me.”
“I see why,” said the salmon.
“Why?” asked the oolachan.
“Because you are such an ugly colour,” said the salmon. “So I will make you the most beautiful fish in the sea, besides me, of course.”
“Of course, my king, but how?”
“I have my ways,” said the king.
Then the salmon led the oolachan to his treasure place and covered her with jewelry. He said, “Stay in the sun for a long time and you will see what happens.”
“Oh,” said the oolachan. So she stayed out in the sun and all the jewelry started to melt. After it melted, she went and told the king. He had a room of mirrors and took the oolachan there.
Oolachan was amazed at what she saw. She was beautiful. She was silver and all the colours of the rainbow. She went out to swim in the sea. After that day the king and all the fish said that she was the most beautiful fish in the sea.
Pretty impressive Chelsea.
I first learned about eulachon in Grade 5 Social Studies in 1970 in Nelson, B.C. when I was 9. Our textbook also called it a candle fish and for some reason I pictured a bigger fish with a candle sticking in it.
Fast forward to 1996 when I attended a multicultural potluck at my daughters’ elementary school in Prince Rupert and I saw and ate an eulachon for the first time in my life.
I chuckled at my childhood self and how my imagination had pictured a candle fish.
During the 16 years we lived in Prince Rupert, we made sure to travel out to the Skeena River with our children in March to see the eulachon run.
Not only were there 1,000s of fish, there were hundreds of birds, dozens of seals and some sea lions there as well.
Reading the history books I learned eulachon also flowed on the Nass River abundantly and were integral to the Nuxalk on the Central Coast.
One time at the All-Native Basketball Tournament in Prince Rupert, I interviewed Eden Robinson, the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations writer. She was excited about eating eulachon grease at the tournament, mixed with whipped berries and sugar.
After I first arrived in Williams Lake to work at the Williams Lake Tribune in late 2011, I pursued an article in the spring about the Nuxalk eulachon fishery with Megan Moody, a Nuxalk scientist who has specialized in eulachon research.
It was then I learned how fragile the run was and that the last healthy showing of them was 1998.
This spring I’ve seen some social media posts about eulachon being spotted in the Bella Coola River this year and people being excited. In recent years Coast Mountain has had articles about Sputc ceremonies on the banks of the river as well.
Here’s hoping the eulachon recover fully one day in the future.
~ Monica Lamb-Yorski