Burbot 1

PHYLUM: Chordata; CLASS: Osteichthyes; SUPERORDER: Teleostei
FAMILY: Gadidae; SUB-FAMILY: Lotinae
GENUS: Lota SPECIES: lota DESCRIBER: (Linnaeus)

What are BURBOTS?
Burbots are elongate, cod-like fish in the family Gadidae whose bodies are rounded anterior to anus and laterally compressed posterior to anus ranging from 25 cm to 50 cm (10 to 20 in) in length. They are yellow or light brown overlaid with a lace-like pattern of dark brown to black. Burbots occur from British Columbia eastward to New Brunswick in deep waters of large lakes and/or in some large rivers. Adult Burbots eat a variety of fishes, whichever ones they come upon. (See: Fishbase)

EARLY LIFE HISTORY of BURBOTS:
Spawning Season of Adult BURBOT: Late winter to early spring, late January to early April.
Where BURBOT Eggs are Found: Adult BURBOTS gather after dark in shallow water over gravel or sandy shoals, ca. 30 cm to 300 cm deep. Females broadcast their semi-boyant eggs which disperse with the movements of the adults and subsequent wind currents.
Characteristics of Eggs: Semi-boyant, transparent, light yellow yolk materials, a single, large, clear oil globule, diameter of eggs 1.0 mm to 1.7 mm.
Size of Babies at Hatching: 3.8 mm to 5.0 mm at 30 days to 71 days of incubation.
Movements of BURBOT Babies after hatching: Baby BURBOTS hatch over gravel or sandy shoals and move or float out into the limnetic areas of lakes singlely and/or in loose aggregations. They were caught in small numbers with fine-mesh townets in limnetic areas. When they attain ca. 30 mm in length they move down and become benthic (Ref. 38).