Salvation Fish

A project raising the public profile and scientific knowledge of the eulachon fish.

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The tails of two dried eulachon are lit on fire. Eulachon are also known as candlefish, because they are so oily that when dried they can be lit like candles. Nass River, British Columbia.
A Nisga'a man hangs eulachon to dry in the sun.
Nisga'a men butcher a sea lion.
A Nisga'a fisherman rests on the ground at a fishing camp. Fishermen spend about a month at the camp, fishing during the outgoing tides, often in the middle of the night, and stirring tubs of boiling eulachon for eight hours each day.
Nisga'a fishermen hunt sea lions that followed eulachon up the river. Nass River, British Columbia
Nisga'a fishermen hunt sea lions that followed eulachon up the river. Nass River, British Columbia
Nisga'a fishermen prepare the tubs used to boil eulachon in water to extract the oil from the fish. Nass River, British Columbia
Eulachon are left outside of a fishing camp to rot for about a week before boiling them in water to extract eulachon oil. Nass River, British Columbia
A Nisga'a fisherman checks the temperature of a mixture of eulachon and water during production of eulachon oil. Nass River, British Columbia
A flock of gulls follows a school of eulachon swimming up the Nass River to spawn. Nass River, British Columbia

Paul Colangelo

Paul Colangelo is an environmental documentary photographer focused on the crossroads of culture and the natural world. Paul is a Na…

Topics
Marine Environment
Sub Topics
Conservation First Nations Fisheries
Regions
Canada North America
Fisheries

About Salvation Fish

Salvation Fish is a three-pronged project with the goal of raising the public profile and scientific knowledge of eulachon. Eulachon is a small herring-like fish whose importance to the coastal First Nations and ecosystems cannot be overstated. Yet even after suffering devastating declines since the 1990s, they remain largely unknown because they are not part of a commercial fishery and they lack the charisma needed to capture our imagination.

Salvation Fish will combine a multimedia story published by an international publication, a scientific research project lead by Raincoast Conservation Foundation and a public outreach campaign to raise the profile of eulachon closer to that enjoyed by salmon before it is too late. Paul Colangelo is an environmental documentary photographer focused on the crossroads of culture and the natural world. Paul is a National Geographic Explorer and a member of the International League of Conservation Photographers.

His long-term project, Our Home and Native Land, sheds light on the seismic shift of core national values in Canada and its implications for the wildlife and cultures of the north. His work in the Sacred Headwaters helped lead to its protection in 2012.Paul lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.