The Seattle Times reports that Pacific smelt - a once abundant silver fish also known as candlefish or euchalon and long relied upon by Native peoples for their oil -- have been listed as threatened from Northern California's Mad River to B.C.'s Skeena River. http://bit.ly/aBPyIx It is unknown whether the listing, furnished by NOAA in response to a Cowlitz Tribe request, will rejuvenate the population, which is also sought by sea lions. Scientists hope that the listing, when considered in combination with salmon protections that can also benefit smelt, will help the teeming, flashing fish survive and thrive.
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