The capelin is a small bony fish of Arctic waters, resembling smelt and with the same cucumber smell when fresh. It has a pleasant flavour and is treated in the same way as whiting. Capelin roe or masago is considered a delicacy. Apparently in Canada this is mixed with wasabi and sold as ‘wasabi caviar’. It is a common practice in parts of Canada to fish them in huge numbers as they gather for spawning. They are a major food fish for some of the great Atlantic fish, notably cod, and are vital to these fisheries. Their numbers often collapse when there are high numbers of herring in the Barents Sea, probably because of competition for the same food sources. It very closely resembles the poor cod of more southern waters.
