Kootenai River fisheries investigation: Stock status of burbot. Annual report 1996

The main theme of the 1996 burbot Lota lota study was to test the hypothesis that winter discharge for power production/flood control inhibits burbot migration to spawning tributaries. There were to be two to three minimum discharge (113 m3/s) periods from Libby Dam of approximately five days duration during December 1995 and January 1996. However, exceptionally heavy precipitation and an excessive amount of water stored in Lake Koocanusa created near flood conditions in the Kootenai River. These high flows prevented a controlled test. But the authors captured 27 burbot in the Kootenai River, Idaho and the Goat River, British Columbia, Canada. Burbot catch from November 1995 through March 1996 averaged 0.055 fish/net-day. Captured burbot ranged from 396 to 830 mm total length and weighed from 400 to 2,800 g (mean = 1,376 g). One burbot was captured at rkm 170 (the Idaho-Canada border) in mid-March after the spawning season. Nine burbot were implanted with sonic transmitters and released at the Goat River capture location. Two additional burbot had active transmitters from the previous season. Telemetry of burbot during the pre-spawn, spawning, and post-spawning periods was conducted. Burbot were located a total of 161 times from September 1, 1995 through August 31, 1996. Ripe burbot were captured at the mouth of the Goat River during February