Burbot
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The burbot (Lota lota) is a fresh-water fish related to the cods. It is also known as the lawyer, and eel-pout, and closely related to the ling and the cusk. It is most common in streams and lakes of North America and Europe above 40°N latitude. They are fairly common in Lake Erie.
Burbot are the only freshwater fish that spawn in the winter, usually in late January.
In Britain, the burbot is possibly an extinct fish as it is believed that there have been no documented catches of the species since the 1970s [link]. If the burbot does still survive in the UK, the counties of Cambridgeshire and Yorkshire (particularly the River Derwent or River Ouse) seem to be the strongest candidates for areas in which the species might yet continue to survive [link]. There have been plans to re-introduce this freshwater member of the cod family back into British waters but these have yet to come to fruition.
Burbot are fair to good eating (recommended use is boiling), but rarely used as food, as most fishermen are put off by their "eely" appearance. The town of Walker, Minnesota holds an International Eel Pout Festival every winter on Leech Lake.
The genus and species name "lota" comes from "la lotte," the old French word for "codfish." The Inuktitut word for burbot was used to name the extinct species Tiktaalik.
References
- [Lota lota (TSN 164725)]. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Accessed on 24 January 2006.
- "[Lota lota]." FishBase. Ed. Ranier Froese and Daniel Pauly. 10 2005 version. N.p.: FishBase, 2005.
- [Practical Fishkeeping article]
- [BBC Radio Programme - 13th March 2005]
- [Lota Lota]
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