Burbot
Lota lota
Status
Native to Newfoundland and Labrador.
Habitat
Normally a deep-water resident. Optimum temperature for this species is between 15.6o to 18.3oC.
Range
Found in all provinces and territories of Canada.
Food
The Burbot is a voracious night predator, and will eat younger Burbot and other fish species.
Appearance
Long, slender body with a large, wide head and small eye; light brown to yellow, with dark brown to black mottling on back and side; two dorsal fins, one short and one long.
Breeding Biology
One of the few freshwater fish that spawns under ice in midwinter under the ice, usually between January to March depending on latitude. Spawning generally occurs in shallow water or on gravel shoals in about five to 10 feet of water.
Male Burbot arrive on the spawning grounds first. Females follow in three to four days. Mating activity only occurs at night, and spawning grounds are deserted during the day (surface temperatures during spawning run between .6o to 1.7oC). Burbot don’t build nests or care for their young. Burbot eggs hatch in about 30 days, and the young appear between February and June.