Freshwater Fishes of the Columbia Basin Return to Table of Contents Return to Species List

Native Fishes: Family Gadidae (Codfish)

Distribution of cod (Gadidae) in the Columbia Basin
(RBCM Collections)

Lota lota (Linnaeus)	Burbot
Lota=an ancient name used by Rondelet

Burbot is the only member of the cod family that has adapted to a purely freshwater existence. Burbot follows a northern circumpolar distribution and is common in the colder parts of lakes, rivers and streams. Little is known about the behaviour and ecology of Burbot, and many regional subspecies designations have been proposed (McPhail and Lindsey 1970; Scottand Crossman 1973). Burbot's diet consists chiefly of fish and aquatic insect larvae, and it is thought to prey heavily on whitefish eggs during certain parts of the year. Burbot conducts most of its foraging during the night. Mature Burbot obtain lengths of up to 122 cm, weigh as much as 34 kg and are one of the few fish that are known to grow faster in the winter than in the summer (McPhail and Lindsey 1970). Its large size and high-quality flesh has made Burbot a favourite sport fish, especially during winter months. The rich oily cod liver of Burbot has been used as lamp oil and for medicinal purposes due to its high vitamin A and D contents.

Burbot usually mature in their third year, and spawning occurs from January to April. Many adults aggregate to form a large spawning ball over a sand substrate, and one large female can release as many as 1,000,000 small eggs in a spawning event (McPhail and Lindsey 1970). Spent females cover the nest with sand using their tail, and the eggs hatch after four to five weeks of incubation (Breder and Rosen 1966).

Burbot are distributed throughout the cold rivers and lakes of the Columbia Basin, with the exception of the Kettle and Flatheat rivers, and above the barriers on the Similkameen.

Burbot is a long, snakelike fish with a single chin barbel. The caudal fin is rounded and the pelvic fins are placed ahead of the pectoral fins.