Burbot (Lota lota)

Burbot face.

Burbot (Lota lota)

Burbot (Lota lota)

This burbot was seen the week of July 5th, 2011 sometime in the afternoon. This fish, and others, is part of a study being conducted by a fisheries grad student at Colorado State University. I am not sure what the point of the study is, other than it has something to do with monitoring the jumping behavior of the fish. I went to the Foothills Campus with my friend Lauren (yes, I know she has the same name as me, and no I don't just mean myself) so she could do some transfers of the fish from one tank to another. She identified tags on the fish, and then I measured it before transferring it to a tank.

Looking for tags on the underside of the burbot's head.

Me holding a burbot before adding it back into the tank.

Me measuring the length of a burbot.

These fish are common in streams and lakes in North America above 40ºN. This was my first time holding any fish, so it was  a learning experience for me.  They are really slippery and hard to hold, more so than other fish. You can read more about them here.