Burbot
Lota lota (Oken, 1817)
Range: Northern North America and Eurasia
Habitat: Deep Temperate Lakes and Slow, Cold Rivers
Diet: Plankton (as juveniles), Aquatic Inverebrates, Smaller Fish, Amphibians
Social Grouping: Asocial, Group Breeding
Reproduction: Breed once annually, migrating to shallow waters to spawn. Breeding triggered by cold temperatures in December-April, often taking place under the ice. Spawn in a collective group at night, females releasing anywhere from 100,000 to 3,000,000 eggs for the males to externally fertilize by releasing sperm. Eggs hatch in the mid to late spring, 30-70 days after they are laid. Sexually mature at 7-8 years old, males usually maturing earlier than females.
Lifespan: 20 years
Conservation Status: IUCN Least Concern
- Grow up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh up to 34 kilograms
- Background coloration yellow, tan, or light brown with dark brown or black speckling. The underside is pale or weight. There are two dorsal fins - a short front one and a bunch longer second one, which merges into the rounded tail fin. Body shape resembles a cross between a catfish and an eel
- A single whisker-like barbell grows from the chin - the name "burbot" comes from the Latin "Barba" for beard
- The only freshwater member of the cod family, Gadiformes
- The species population is stable overall, but they are in decline, possibly extirpated, in some parts of their range. Believed to be already extinct in the United Kingdom (reintroduction is contemplated). Habitat loss through dam construction is a major threat.
- Burbot are an important species for some commercial fisheries, harvested for their flesh as well as their oil and livers (records from the 16th century report that they were once so commonly harvested that they were fed to hogs). They are not a popular species for recreational fisherman due to their sluggish nature and nocturnal lifestyle, though they are very easy to catch, as their very omnivorous diet makes them inclined to bite lures readily
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