Eulachon

Eulachon are small marine fish (8-9 inches in length) that feed on plankton in the eastern Pacific, from Alaska to northern California.  In late winter, they move into estuaries and coastal rivers to spawn; most adults die after this process.  Fertilized eggs, which sink to the gravel beds, hatch in a month and the fry head to sea; there they will live in offshore waters for 3-5 years before returning to spawn.

Heavily laden with fat, the spawning eulachon are known as candlefish (since dried specimens can be lit like candles) and were called "salvation fish" by Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest since their calorie-rich bodies provided vital nutrition during the leans months of late winter and early spring.  Of course, Steller's sea lions, dolphins and sea birds also welcome their spawning runs.

Unfortunately, eulachon have all but disappeared from the coastal rivers of northern California, Oregon and Washington and their numbers have decreased significantly farther north.  Global warming, overfishing, water pollution and altered river sediments (due to hydroelectric dams) are all thought to be playing a role in the population decline of this smelt.

Politics, Science & the Environment

As the field of Republican Presidential candidates continues to dwindle, those left are courting the Right Wing of their Party, hoping to garner their support.  Of course, this means that they must ridicule global warming, oppose environmental regulations and promise to reduce federal funding for science, including space exploration and medical research.

Were it up to that segment of the American populace, we would eliminate the Department of Education and the Environmental Protection Agency, would defund Planned Parenthood and stem cell research and would repeal subsidies for clean energy technology.  Opposed to most environmental regulations, they would curtail (if not repeal) legislation devoted to reducing air and water pollution, protecting wilderness areas and limiting human impact on vital ecosystems.

Fortunately, young voters seem inclined to adopt lifestyles that foster human health and protect the welfare of our environment.  Hopefully, they will use the power of the ballot to elect individuals who share their commitments.  After all, it is their future that is most threatened by the anti-science rhetoric and pro-industry policies of Right Wing Conservatives.