Okay, I know what the burbot are doing to the Kokes at Flaming Gorge but it made me wonder what lakes are like where burbot have a history of co-existing with other species. Does anyone know what species do well in lakes with burbot?
Burbot impact question
- Thread starter SuperD
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jacksonlaker
Well-known member
Burbot exist with no problems in many, many lakes across the U.S. and Canada. I asked the Jackson district fish biologist if he knew of a lake where introduced burbot reduced kokanee populations. He did not. I'm not saying they wont have an impact and as an introduced predator I say let's get rid of 'em. In the midwest many lakes have Burbot but theses are mostly warm water, walleye type lakes. There is a member on this site by the name of "Ryno" and he is a fish and game guy at the Gorge. He is probably tired of answering this question so you may want to P.M. him. He has tons of info, all of it good and accurate. And I think someone asked this question a while back. You can check the archives. Good Luck..JL
I think the fish it will have the biggest impact on is the Mac population. They are in direct competition for the same space and the Burbot will do huge damage to the numbers of young. As for the Kokes will have to wait and see but it surely can't help!
Ryno
Well-known member
Good question and one that I've pondered and researched myself. It's surprising to most, but burbot in their native range are actually suffering population declines. Research points at two notable sources (at least to me), angler exploitation and dams which impact their traditional migration patterns. We have the dam already, now it's up to angler exploitation. There's no doubt on my mind we're building that, it's evident in angler harvest reports. Based on reports this year, it seems burbot angling catch rates have declined compared to the previous two winters. That's a good thing. Annual trendnetting for burbot also shows slight declines in catch rates for 2008 and 2009. Hard to make big assumptions based on two years because netting has natural variability, but declines none-the-less are good to see.
In the Great Lakes, where they are native, burbot have been on the decline for decades. As you probably know, those fisheries are constantly changing as a result of some major invasive species introductions. Still, some of the old research shows the burbots two biggest predators are smallmouth bass and lake trout. We have those two predators already in the Gorge, so you would expect at one time or another they will have some influence on burbot. So far neither lake trout or smallmouth have shown preference to burbot, although they do show up in their stomachs on occasion.
I honestly believe burbot, like any other species, found a new niche in the Gorge and quickly exploded due to good water quality, food availablity, low predation, etc. Eventually something will put them in check, probably changes in the above. Angler exploitation is simply a means of softening the blow to the established fishery. We'll always have burbot, but the goal is to make sure we don't lose what's managed for- kokanee, lake trout, smallmouth bass.
Being this is a kokanee forum, and most of us admire the resource Flaming Gorge provides us, we realize kokanee just can't seem to get a break. They're the primary forage for lake trout, we know that. Burbot are extremely opportunistic, and unfortunately have been documented by both anglers and biologists, utilizing all life stages of kokanee, from eggs up to adults. If we continue to see declines in overall kokanee abundance, it will not only impact us as fisherman, but lake trout will be forced to make a living some other way. I'm optimistic by increasing harvest on these abundant predators and stocking hatchery reared kokanee to supplement their declines in natural recruitment, we'll preserve the kokanee fishery in the Gorge. Last year anglers observed overall lower catch rates for kokanee, but what was caught was bigger, evident by the new Gorge record. That's pretty indicative of low koke abundance too, fewer fish meaning bigger fish. I suspect that it could get worse before it gets better, but based on good kokanee recruitment in 2009, our long range outlook may be bright. Hopefully those fish make it through the predator gauntlet, but time will tell......
Hope it helps some, Ryno
Trophy Taker
Well-known member
Hey Ryno,
It was rumored that Wyo F&G stocked Tiger Trout in the Gorge to help with the Burbot Control. Do you know if that really happened?
Thanks,
TT
It was rumored that Wyo F&G stocked Tiger Trout in the Gorge to help with the Burbot Control. Do you know if that really happened?
Thanks,
TT
Ryno
Well-known member
Kind of true, but not by WYGF. Utah Division of Wildlife stocked them in 2008, as a joint management decision by both agencies. They were excess fish in the Utah hatchery system and so far just a one-shot deal. They were only about 6" and totaled about 66K. The bulk of the stockings were off Antelope Flat, but a tank was dropped at both Sheep Creek and Cedar Springs. WYGF has been stocking brown trout uplake, but those fish have been small too.
For a little background on that decision......burbot fry have been observed in the early spring, literally covering the shoreline areas uplake. It's when water temps are still cold enough (40s) that smallmouth bass are pretty inactive. The hopes were tigers and/or brown trout (both predominantly shoreline predators) would be active during this time period, preying on available burbot fry. So far, no tigers have been recaptured by anglers or sampling. Once again there weren't very many and they were pretty small. It's still something worth trying, a biological control, and the great thing about tigers is they're sterile and you don't have to worry about them over-running the system. Tigers would also offer another species of opportunity for anglers targeting the shore for bows or bass. They may get another opportunity in the future, but it's dependent on availability. There were high hopes that one day a Gorge angler would catch a 15-17 inch tiger puking up burbot fry. It hasn't happened yet, as far as I know........ Ryno
Kokaholic
Well-known member
Sounds like it was a Chuck-O-Rama for the Other predotars!
Digi-Troller
Well-known member
Great info as always Ryan! I do a fair amount of fly fishing in the spring... I'll let you know if we get any tigers at all!
Ryno
Well-known member
They are reservoir wide now, with highest concentrations occurring near the inflows and decrease as you work downlake. For example in the fall of 2009, 3 nets set overnight from the Confluence to Buckboard produced 98 burbot, from Holmes Crossing to Lucerne produced 77 burbot, and from Sheep Creek to Jarvies produced only 6 burbot. Ryno
Ryno
Well-known member
Thanks and good to see you chimin' in again on the forums. Congrats on your engagement too! Ryno
Digi-Troller
Well-known member
Its good to be back Ryan! The engagment is over, and we're married lol Life is pretty dang good right now. Cant wait to get out and do some koke fishing though!
