Capelin, << KAP uh lihn or KAYP lihn, >> is a small, silvery saltwater fish that lives in the cold seas surrounding the North Pole. The capelin (also spelled capelan) ranks as a popular food fish. Commercial and amateur fishers catch it in nets.
Each year during the warmer months, many capelin swim up onto gravel beaches. Females lay their eggs, and the males fertilize them with sperm. The capelin are washed back into the sea by waves, and most die after spawning. The eggs stick to the gravel and are buried by waves. They hatch from two to four weeks later. The newly hatched fish leave the gravel when warmer water is driven onshore by the wind. Young capelin eat microscopic animals called zooplankton. They become mature enough to produce offspring in about two years and grow to their full size, almost 8 inches (20 centimeters), after about three years.
Capelin provide food for seals, whales, and many fishes and birds. People eat capelin and use them to make fish meal and oil.
