The candlefish, also eulachon or hooligan, is a small ocean fish, Thaleichthys pacificus, a smelt found along the northern Pacific coast of North America from Oregon to Alaska. It gets its name from the fact that it is so fat during spawning that, if caught, dried, and strung on a wick, it can be burned as a candle.

The word eulachon is from the Chinookan language.

The sablefish Anoplopoma fimbria is also called "candlefish" in the United Kingdom.

External link

• FishBase entry for Thaleichthys pacificus