Recruitment of burbot (Lota lota L.) in Lake Erie: an empirical modelling approach

Abstract

World-wide, many burbot Lota lota (L.) populations have been extirpated or are otherwise in need of conservation measures. By contrast, burbot made a dramatic recovery in Lake Erie during 1993-2001 but declined during 2002-2007, due in part to a sharp decrease in recruitment. We used Akaike's Information Criterion to evaluate 129 linear regression models that included all combinations of one to seven ecological indices as predictors of burbot recruitment. Two models were substantially supported by the data: (i) the number of days in which water temperatures were within optimal ranges for burbot spawning and development combined with biomass of yearling and older (YAO) yellow perch Perca flavescens (Mitchill); and (ii) biomass of YAO yellow perch. Warmer winter water temperatures and increases in yellow perch biomass were associated with decreases in burbot recruitment. Continued warm winter water temperatures could result in declines in burbot recruitment, particularly in the southern part of the species' range.

Variability in Burbot Cohort Abundance at Juvenile and Adult Stages in Columbia Lake, British Columbia

“…Cohort strength does not appear to be closely related to spawner abundance in Columbia Lake, as has been observed for the West Arm of Kootenay Lake (Ahrens and Korman 2002) and Lake Erie (Stapanian et al 2010b). In this study, the lowest tributary spawner count was in 1999, yet the 1999 cohort appeared to be the strongest since 1993 based on 2001 tributary returns.…”

“…Therefore, the effect of tributary temperature on egg survival does not appear to explain the greater juvenile recruitment success of the 1997 cohort relative to that of the 1996 cohort. In Lake Erie, Stapanian et al (2010b) found an association between Burbot recruitment and an index of the number of days with optimal water temperature for spawning and development, if combined in a model with Yellow Perch Perca flavescens abundance. However, when considered alone, the temperature index was not supported as a predictor of recruitment.…”

Ups and Downs of Burbot and Their Predator Lake Trout in Lake Superior, 1953–2011

“…However, the recovery of Burbot populations in the lower Great Lakes was short-lived, as declines were evident by the 2000s. These have been attributed to a mix of factors, including reduced recruitment, increased Sea Lamprey depredation, and predation on larval fish (Stapanian et al 2008(Stapanian et al , 2010, though food web changes driven by the invasion of dreissenid mussels in these Great Lakes have yet to be implicated.…”

Chromosome‐level genome assembly of burbot (Lota lota) provides insights into the evolutionary adaptations in freshwater

“…This species is vulnerable to many environmental changes, in particular, warming water temperatures and pollution (Stapanian, Paragamian, et al, 2010; Stapanian et al, 2010). The burbot in marginal habitats may serve as an early indicator of the impacts of climate change on cold‐water fish species (Stapanian, Paragamian, et al, 2010; Stapanian, Witzel, et al, 2010). However, burbot stocks have severely declined in number and distribution during the past century.…”

“…Many populations are threatened, have been extirpated, or are otherwise in need of conservation measures (Maitland & Lyle, 1990). For example, burbot has been extirpated from the United Kingdom, and its populations in Finland have declined or have been destroyed entirely in 16% of the lakes (Stapanian, Paragamian, et al, 2010; Stapanian, Witzel, et al, 2010; Tammi et al, 1999). A series of threats, including pollution, habitat fragmentation, exploitation, and invasive species, has caused the decline or extirpation of many burbot populations (Stapanian, Paragamian, et al, 2010; Stapanian, Witzel, et al, 2010).…”