Iowa Fish Atlas

Native: Yes

State Rank: S3

ITIS Code: 164725          

National Rank: N5           

Global Rank: G5

Modeled By: Anna Loan-Wilsey

State Range:

The burbot is an uncommon inhabitant of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.  It has been collected predominantly in the Eastern Broadleaf Forest Aquatic Subregion.  The burbot has also been documented in Turkey and Yellow rivers as well as many small coldwater creeks (Harlan et al. 1987).  It is listed on the state’s threatened species list (571 IAC 77.2(2) (2004)).

Habitat Affinities:

The burbot is usually found in deep, cold waters of lakes but may also occur in the mainstream of large rivers (Becker 1983; Cross and Collins 1995; Etnier and Starnes 1993; Trautman 1981) or smaller coldwater tributaries (Harlan et al. 1987). It is secretive, hiding about piles of rocks, submerged logs, undermined bridge supports and beds of aquatic vegetation during the daylight hours (Harlan et al. 1987; Robins and Deubler 1955). Before 1950, it was found in the deep, cold waters of Lake Erie, moving into shallower water near tributary outflows in winter (Trautman 1957), though it has since drastically declined in abundance (Trautman 1981).  Juveniles are often found along rocky shorelines and in the mouths of tributaries (Scott and Crossman 1973).  In Minnesota and Wisconsin, the burbot is common in large northern lakes and rivers (Becker 1983; Phillips et. al. 1982).

Predictive Model(s):

Statewide Model: by 8-digit HU [Decision Tree Analysis n=12]

The distribution is based upon existing collection records.

("FLOW" = 1 AND "SUBREGION_" = 2 AND "MINELEVR" <= 1)

Mississippi River Model:

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

(("pool" >= 'S08' AND "pool" <= 'S11') OR ("pool" >= 'S16' AND "pool" <= 'S17') OR "pool" = 'S20')

Missouri River Model

The distribution is based upon existing collection records and professional review.

("pool" >= 'O17' AND "pool" <= 'O18')

Overall Prediction:

 ("FLOW" = 1 AND "SUBREGION_" = 2 AND "MINELEVR" <= 1) OR

(("pool" >= 'S08' AND "pool" <= 'S11' ) OR ("pool" >= 'S16' AND "pool" <= 'S17') OR ("pool" = 'S20') OR ("pool" >= 'O17' AND "pool" <= 'O18'))

Literature Cited:

Becker, G.C.  1983.  Fishes of Wisconsin.  University of Wisconsin Press, Madison. 1052 pp.

Cross, F.B., and J.T. Collins.  1995.  Fishes in Kansas.  University of Kansas Natural History Museum, Public Education Series No. 14, Lawrence, Kansas.   315 pp.

Endangered and threatened plant and animal species.  2004.  Iowa Administrative Code 

571: 77.2(2).

Etnier, D.A., and W.E. Starnes.  1993.  The fishes of Tennessee.  University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville, Tennessee.  681 pp.

Harlan, J.R., E.B. Speaker, and J. Mayhew.  1987.  Iowa fish and fishing. Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa. 323pp.

Phillips, G.L., W.D. Schmid, and J.C. Underhill.  1982.  Fishes of the Minnesota region.  University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  248 pp.

Robins, C.R., and E.E. Deubler, Jr. 1955. The life history and systematic status of the burbot, Lota lota lucustris (Walbaum), in the Susquehanna River system. N.Y. State Museum Circular 39. 49 pp.

Scott, W.B., and E. J. Crossman.  1973.  Freshwater fishes of Canada.  Fisheries Research Board of Canada Bulletin No. 184, Ottawa, Canada.  966 pp.

Trautman, M.B.  1957.  The fishes of Ohio.  Ohio State University Press in collaboration with the Ohio Division of Wildlife and the Ohio State University Development Fund, Columbus, Ohio.  683 pp.

Trautman, M.B.  1981.  The fishes of Ohio.  Revised Edition.  Ohio State University Press in collaboration with the Ohio Sea Grant Program Center for Lake Erie Area Research,  Columbus, Ohio.  782 pp.

Data Sources:

Cleary, R.E.  1956.  Summary of the cooperative exploratory fishing operations in the

Wisconsin-Illinois-Iowa sections of the Mississippi River- 1956.  Job Description Investigations Projects.  Iowa Conservation Commission, Des Moines, Iowa.

Decorah Fish Management.  2002.  Field notes and unpublished reports.  Northeast

Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Decorah, Iowa.

Guttenberg Fish Management.  2002.  Field notes and unpublished reports.  Northeast

Management District, Fisheries Bureau, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Guttenberg, Iowa.

Hesse, L.W., Q.L. Bliss, and G.J. Zuerlein.  1982.  Some aspects of the ecology of adult

fishes in the channelized Missouri River with special reference to the effects of two nuclear power generating stations.  Pages 224-277 in L.W. Hesse, G.L. Hergenrader, H.S. Lewis, S.D. Reetz, and A.B. Schlesinger, editors. The Middle Missouri River: a collection of papers on the biology with special reference to power station effects.  The Missouri River Study Group, Norfolk, Nebraska.

Kallemeyn, L.W.  1977.  Fish and fish food organisms in various habitats of the Missouri

River in South Dakota, Nebraska, and Iowa.  FWS/OBS-77/25.  United States Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C.

Meek, S.E.  1892.  Report upon the fishes of Iowa, based upon observations and

collections mad during 1889, 1890, 1891.  Bulletin of the United States Fish Commission. 10(1890):217-248.

Menzel, B.W.  1983.  Field notes: northeast.  Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Nord, R.C.  1967.  A compendium of fishery information on the Upper Mississippi River.

Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois. 238 pp. 

Robinson, D.J.  1959.  A brief electro-survey of the Iowa waters of the Missouri River. 

Quarterly Biology Reports 11(3):32-33.

UMRCC.  1953.  Revised species list- northern section of the river.  Pages 19-32 in

Proceedings of the Ninth Annual Meeting, Upper Mississippi River Conservation Committee, Rock Island, Illinois.

Wilton, T., K. Krier, and J. Mootz.  2003.  Stream Biological Assessment Database.

Environmental Services Division, Water Quality Bureau, TMDL and Water Quality Assessment Section, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa.

Wunder, G., and S.A. Gritters.  1994.  Sny Magill Creek Fishery Assessment.  Fish

Management Investigations 1994 Annual Report.  Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Des Moines, Iowa.

Additional References:

Bailey, M.M.  1972.  Age, growth, reproduction and food of the burbot, Lota lota (Linnaeus), in southwestern Lake Superior.  Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 101(4):667-674.

Clay, W.M.  1975.  The fishes of Kentucky.  Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, Frankfort, Kentucky.  416 pp.

Clemens, H.P.  1951.  The food of the burbot, Lota lota maculosa (LeSueur) in Lake Erie.  Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 80(1951): 163-173.

Douglas, N.H.  1974.  Freshwater fishes of Louisiana.  Claitor’s Publishing Division, Sponsored by Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Commission, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  443 pp.

Eddy, S., and J.C. Underhill.  1974.  Northern fishes; with special reference to the upper Mississippi Valley.  University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, Minnesota.  414 pp.

Fish, M.P.  1927.  Contribution to the natural history of the burbot, Lota maculosa (LeSueur). Bulletin of the Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences 14(3): 1-20.

Gelwicks, G.T.  1995.  Fish movement between the lower Missouri River and a managed floodplain wetland in Missouri.  Master’s thesis. University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri. 190 pp.

Kelly, G., editor.  1986.  Animal habitat relations handbook.  Missouri Department of Conservation and U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Jefferson City, Missouri.  293 pp.

Lawler, G. H.  1963.  The biology and taxonomy of the burbot, Lota lota, in Heming Lake, Manitoba.  Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 20(2):417-433.

Lee, D.S., C.R. Gilbert, C.H. Hocutt, R.E. Jenkins, D.E. McAllister, and J.R. Stauffer, Jr.  1980.  Atlas of North American freshwater fishes.  North Carolina State Museum of Natural History, Raleigh, North Carolina.  867 pp.

Nelson, J.S.  1984.  Fishes of the world. Second edition.  John Wiley and Sons, New York.  523 pp.

Page, L.M., and B.M. Burr.  1991.  A field guide to freshwater fishes: North America north of Mexico.  Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, Massachusetts. 432 pp.

Pflieger, W.L.  1971.  A distributional study of Missouri fishes.  University of Kansas Publications, Museum of Natural History  20(3):225-570.

Pflieger, W.L.  1997.  The fishes of Missouri.  Missouri Department of Conservation, Jefferson City, Missouri.  372 pp.

Robins, C.R., R.M. Bailey, C.E. Bond, J.R. Brooker, E.A. Lachner, R.N. Lea, and W.B. Scott.  1991.  Common and scientific names of fishes from the United States and Canada.  American Fisheries Society, Special Publication 20, Bethesda, Maryland. 183 pp.

Robison, H.W., and T.M. Buchanan. 1988.  Fishes of Arkansas.  University of Arkansas Press, Fayetteville, Arkansas.  536 pp.

Thom, R.H., and J.H. Wilson.  1980.  The natural divisions of Missouri.  Transactions of the Missouri Academy of Science  14:9-24.

Photo Credits:

Upper Left:       Photo courtesy of Konrad P. Schmidt, copyright Konrad P. Schmidt.

Upper Right:     Photo courtesy of Konrad P. Schmidt, copyright Konrad P. Schmidt.