Definition of "capelin" []

• A small edible marine fish (Mallotus villosus) of northern Atlantic and Pacific waters, related to and resembling the smelt. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "Polar cod is an extremely important prey item for most arctic seabirds, but other small school-forming species (such as capelin and herring in the Barents Sea) are extremely important regionally."
• "Mature fish feed on krill and small fish such as capelin and herring and undertake extensive feeding migrations."
• "One fish that comes close is a smelt known as the capelin ("