The capelin (Mallotus villosus) is a small, slender forage fish of the smelt family (Osmeridae), found in vast shoals across the cold North Atlantic, Arctic and North Pacific. Rarely longer than a finger, it is one of the most abundant fish in the boreal sea — the key prey of cod, seals, whales and seabirds — and is harvested in enormous quantities both for its roe and as a small whole fish, grilled, dried or fried.