Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

Introduction to Lipids
When you think of foods important to the Pacific Northwest, salmon may first come to mind.
But to many indigenous people who have long made their home along the Pacific coast, a
smaller, humbler fish is considered even more vital: the eulachon smelt.
Traditionally, one of the first signs of spring in the region was the migration of the
eulachon smelt into the region’s rivers. These thin, blue and silver fish spend most of their
lives in the cold Pacific Ocean, but when it’s time for them to lay their eggs in early spring,
they swim up into the rivers of Oregon, Washington, Canada, and Alaska to sow the seeds of
their next generation.
For indigenous people living in this region, who historically subsisted through long winters
on stored and preserved foods, the arrival of the eulachon smelt would have been a
welcome infusion of calories and flavor. Legends describe the small oily fish saving entire
villages from starvation; it’s also known as “halimotkw,” translated as “savior fish” or
“salvation fish.”
Figure 5.1. Fresh-caught eulachon smelt from the Kuskokwim River, Alaska, 2008.
Beyond the timing of its late winter arrival, what makes the eulachon so valuable is its
high lipid content. It’s so oily that dried eulachon will ignite and burn like a candle, and
nutritionally, it’s a dense source of calories. (Remember: Fat contains 9 kilocalories per gram
compared to just 4 for carbohydrate and protein.) It’s also a good source of fat-soluble
vitamins, especially vitamin A, and high in omega-3 fatty acids. William Clark (of the Lewis and
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