The decision to declare iconic oilyfish, an endangered species, comes after a 98 percent decline in its numbers over the past decade. The listing was made by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), which warns the outlook is “grim” for the small iconic fish that may be nearing extinction. Eulachon, also spelled oolichan, is dubbed saviour fish by some aboriginals who counted on it to bridge over gaps in the salmon catch and candlefish by others, because they’re so oily they can be dried and burned like candles.
According to B.C. First Nations eulachon used to very high in but they’re just not there any more. COSEWIC cites a mix of potential culprits for the precipitous drop in eulachon stocks, including changing environmental conditions affecting marine survival, predators and fishing. Fishery expert Crey points out to boats in the offshore shrimp trawl fishery, which pull up eulachon as a bycatch along with their shrimp.
He told that they just jettison them overboard as waste and there is no market for them so there is no interest in them. He also suspects eulachon have been hurt by habitat damage along the lower Fraser from industrial activity. COSEWIC’s decision will go to the federal environment minister, who will consider whether to also designate eulachon under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA).
Crey also told that eulachon populations on the central coast are now also rated endangered by COSEWIC, although ones further north in the Skeena and Nass Rivers are only considered “threatened.” One bright spot in the committee’s findings was that the humpback whale, considered threatened since 1985, has made a steady comeback and is now being downgraded to a “special concern” – a lower risk category.
