PROJECT
DATE
April 18, 2011Sue IrelandKootenai Tribe of Idaho
Kootenai Valley Resource Initiativeand KVRI Burbot Subcommittee
Kootenai River Burbot Briefing
BURBOT (Lota lota)Freshwater Cod a.k.a. ling, eelpout, lawyer, loche, methy
Circumpolar distribution (cold and temperate waters of the Northern Hemisphere)
Spawns in winter under the ice
Voracious predator and night feeder
Large, long lived species
Photo by Ernest Keeley
IDFG documents population decline –
By 2003 the Lower Kootenai population is estimated to be <50 fish
Idaho Dept of Fish and Game
Threats to the Burbot Population
Low Population Size Winter Flow Management Winter Water Temperatures Reduced Productivity Habitat Changes
The burbot was proposed for emergency listing by conservation groups in February 2000
Excerpt from Letter to USFWS from Kootenai Tribal Council,
November 2001“…. the Tribe
proposes, to develop, with the Service and additional committed stakeholders, an integrated and innovative approach to recovery of lower Kootenai River burbot.”
Photo by Ernest Keeley
February 2002 - KVRI agrees to form a Burbot Subcommittee to develop a conservation strategy
Historical interviews of community members provided important input
Burbot Restoration
Goal: to restore a viable and self- sustaining harvestable burbot population in the Lower Kootenai River
MOU signed by 16 agencies and entities in 2005
Burbot Conservation Strategy
Habitat Restoration Conservation
Aquaculture Alternative Hydro
Operations Plan Monitoring and
Evaluation Education and
Outreach
Master Plan completed in July 2009
Provides analysis of the factors limiting ecosystem function
Presents specific restoration strategies for each river reach designed to address those limiting factors
http://www.kootenai.org/fish_restoration.htm
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Thanks to KVRI and all our partners for continued support of the burbot
restoration program!