Habitat Associations of Juvenile Burbot in a Tributary of the Kootenai River

Abstract

Burbot Lota lota in the lower Kootenai River, Idaho, have been the focus of extensive conservation efforts, particularly conservation aquaculture. One of the primary management strategies has been the release of Burbot into small tributaries in the Kootenai River basin, such as Deep Creek. Since 2012, approximately 12,000 juvenile Burbot have been stocked into Deep Creek; however, little is known about the habitat use of stocked Burbot. The objective of this study was to evaluate habitat associations of juvenile Burbot in Deep Creek. Fish and habitat were sampled from 58 reaches of the creek. Regression models suggested that Burbot moved little after stocking and were associated with areas of high mean depth and coarse substrate. This study provides additional knowledge on habitat associations of juvenile Burbot and suggests that managers should consider selecting deep habitats with coarse substrate for stocking locations. Received December 15, 2016; accepted May 22, 2017 Published online July 31, 2017