Eulachon

On February 24, 1806, Clatsop chief Coboway brought the first eulachon to Fort Clatsop, marking the beginning of the annual spring run of this important food fish. Lewis drew a detailed likeness of the fish and recorded it as approximately 8 1/8 inches long. The eulachon was so oil-rich that Native peoples dried them and used them as candles, hence the common name “candlefish.” Lewis’s description and drawing constitute the first scientific documentation of this species.

Journal Excerpt

Lewis, February 24, 1806: "the Clatsop Chief Coboway and his wife came to the fort selling a species of small fish which now begin to run, and are taken in great quantities in the Columbia R. about 40 miles above us by means of skiming or scooping nets… I have drawn the likeness of them as large as life; it as perfect as I can make it with my pen, and will serve to give a general idea of the fish."