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

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank J. Johnson, L. Schofield, L. Terraberry, G. Peck, V. Oliveras, M. Briggs, V. B. Nunez, A. Miera, K. Bush, and numerous IDFG employees, particularly C. Gidley, for assistance with fieldwork. We are grateful to the Bonneville Power Administration and the Kootenai Tribe of Idaho collaboration for providing the funding for raising Burbot. We appreciate the entire staff of the Kootenai Tribe Native Fish Conservation Aquaculture Program for oversight and completion of permitting, transport, and releases as well as assistance with tagging operations. We also thank the British Columbia Ministry of Forest, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations for continued use of the Moyie Lake donor population; and S. Stephenson and V. Evans for their efforts during the spawning operation. The Aquaculture Research Institute at the University of Idaho reared the Burbot that were stocked into Deep Creek, helping to make this study possible. Helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript were provided by D. Schill, C. Caudill, T. Johnson, C. Smith, and three anonymous reviewers. Funding for this project was provided by IDFG. Additional support was provided by the U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The Unit is jointly sponsored by the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Idaho, IDFG, and the Wildlife Management Institute. This project was conducted under Protocol 2014-8 approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Idaho. The use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.