Burbot Lota lota

Linnaeus, 1758

GADIDAE FAMILY
Also called cusk, eel pout, ling, lawyer

Widely distributed around the world above 40?N. The burbot is common throughout Canada, the northern U.S.A., and Europe within this range, with the notable exceptions of Scotland and Ireland, the Kamchatka Peninsula, the west coast of Norway, extreme western British Columbia, Nova Scotia, and the Atlantic Islands. It commonly occurs in deep, cold waters (up to 116 fathoms, almost 700 feet), and is one of the few fishes that spawn in midwinter under the ice.

This is an unusually distinctive fish with its long, almost eel like body; single, slender, cod like barbel under the chin; rounded paddle like tail; large rounded pectoral fins; small, short first dorsal fin, and long second dorsal fin. The anal fin starts near the middle of the body and runs all the way back to the tail. The body is yellow, light brown, or tan with a mottled appearance. Some individuals, noticeably adults from deep lakes in the far north, may be entirely dark brown or black.

It is most frequently caught incidentally by anglers who are ice fishing for lake trout. While it is both a good sportfish and a good quality food fish, it is not generally popular

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