Ha’limootk [ha’/li/*mootk] is the first run of ‘ẅa̱h (eulachon) . The word Ha’limootk is akin to saying saviour fish (literally translates to time/place where safe). The saviour fish arrives at the tail end of goomsm [*goom/sm] – winter , when food is more scarce, making its arrival very welcome to Ts’msyen communities. The first run of eulachon is said to be mostly females, and makes a very dark grease.

Stephen is a fisheries biologist, and for the last three years he’s been working on an eulachon study in the Ksyen (Skeena river) . He’s been eulachon fishing since he was a kid, dip netting around the Ksyen, but has really dialed it in the past few years. This season, he’s been out since early February – keeping an eye on the wildlife coming to the river, dip netting for eulachon, and setting out gill nets for their test fishery.

On this day, Stephen and I ran out to the fishing grounds on my lunch break to set a gill net and try our hand at a quick dip net. Later that evening we ran out again on the next low tide to check the net, to find a small feed of ‘ẅa̱h ! Because he was out everyday for a month – we were pretty certain we caught eulachon from the first run Ha’limootk! And for the second year in a row, I brought the good luck.✨

The mouth of the Ksyen is tidal all the way up to Kasiks (on a big tide), and ‘ẅa̱h can be found spawning all the way up to Kasiks! Eulachon spawn in the river within the salt water wedge (tidal area) in gravel or sand. They’re not strong swimmers and rely heavily on the tides to help push them up stream.

You can calculate the tide change in the Skeena River by adding time to the Prince Rupert tide table. Below are a few popular eulachon dip netting spots:

• Margonish – low tide add approx. 2 hours to the Prince Rupert tide table.
• Telegraph rest stop/ Glass Blow – low tide add approx. 3 hours to the Prince Rupert tide table
• Kwinitsa river/ Polymar – low tide add approx. 5 hours to the Prince Rupert tide table. High tide add 3 hours.

These tide tables are important to know for harvesting your eulachon, as these spots are mainly accessible at low tide. However they’re also very important to know for safety! Small tides switch slower than big tides, and big tides switch quickly with the force of the ocean behind it. You need to be aware of when the tide switches, otherwise you can get stranded across a side channel on a gravel bar. Then you’ll be waiting 12 hours for the next low tide to cross back over! You need to keep a very close eye on children for this reason – and we highly recommend a life jacket for kids. The river is very dynamic!

Steve’s mom Ruby told him that the first feed of ‘ẅa̱h was always eaten fresh-steamed, and all the bones were collected and brought back to the river where they were harvested. This was said to bring back more eulachon. Stephen and my first feed is usually fried whole (recipe below!).

Once Ha’limootk showed up to the Ksyen, the fishers were out in full force! Steve counted up to 19 dip netters and 10 gill nets out all on one low tide.

First Nations with territory on the Skeena often ask that their community fishers acquire a permit (or at least report their catch data) to their fisheries/stewardship organizations. Lax Kw’alaams members can report their catch data directly to Lax Kw’alaams Fisheries. There is often representation from multiple Bands on the Skeena during this harvest time. To avoid hassle from a neighbouring community or DFO, a permit will suffice. For more information on harvesting eulachon, including some info on fishing regulations, check out our blog from last year’s run: Ha’lila̱x six’ẅa̱h [ha/’li/la̱x/si/*’ẅa̱h] – the time to harvest eulachon; the month of March. 

This is how we typically prepare eets’m ‘ẅa̱h (fried eulachon):

Step 1: pat the eulachon dry with a clean dish towel. We’ve tried skipping this step before – but it ends up making the oil spit more and the flour tends to fall off easier!

Step 2: season the fish however you like – Steve simply used salt and pepper. Heat up your frying pan and cooking oil (today we used vegetable oil, but we’ve also used shortening which is my mom’s preference)

Step 3: dip the eulachon in straight up flour. Shake off any excess flour before you put it into the frying pan.

Step 4: fry the eulachon on medium high heat until golden brown, then flip. Once they’re done cooking (golden brown on both sides), Steve likes to put the fried eulachon on a drying rack and cookie sheet and keep them warm in the oven on low until they’re all cooked.

The heads and tails are my favourite because they’re crunchy! We eat the eulachon whole because Stephen and I find that it doesn’t really change the flavour to eat it from head to tail. My mom Jennifer likes to gut them after they’re fried. Steve’s grandma Millie would gut them and take their heads off (and Steve would eat the heads for her). If anything, leaving the guts in make the eulachon juicier.

That being said, this year we wanted to try a new method for eets’m ‘ẅa̱h – one that would maximize the crunchy!

Fried butterflied eulachon:

Step 1: gut your eulachon, and remove the organs. We kept the bones in because we like the crunch crunch.

Step 1.5: clean out the inside of the eulachon, including any blood or leftover guts. Once the fish is clean, pat it dry with a clean dish towel.

Step 2-4: follow steps 2-4 same as above. Season the butterflied eulachon, dip them in flour, and fry until golden brown.

Amagyedn, gyaksn diduulsn, gyilks amaniisgn – be kind, be calm, be safe!

T’oyaxsut ‘nüün  Mr. Campbell for providing the audio Sm’algyax pronunciation for this blog post. Translation of amagyedn, gyaksn diduulsn, gyilks amaniisgn by Velna Nelson, in the Sm’algyax Word of the Day Facebook group.

S&L – March 12, 2021