Population Dynamics and Movement of a Burbot (Lota lota) in Western Lake Michigan and Green Bay

I estimated population statistics, movement, and potential yield of burbot (Lota lota) in Wisconsin waters of Green Bay and Lake Michigan. After decimation by the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), burbot have rebounded in the lake and are an abundant piscivore in Green Bay. In summers 1987 and 1988 6730 burbot in Green Bay and 195 in northwestern Lake Michigan were tagged and released. Additional burbot (4008) were collected from September, 1986 through October, 1989 and used for aging and calculating length-weight relations. Mean back-calculated lengths at age, determined from whole otoliths, showed curvilinear growth, rapid at early ages and nearing an asymptote by age 16 (66 cm). Females grew faster than males after age 2, and overlap in size ranges of each age class was evident for both sexes after age 1. Growth in length was similar throughout the lake and bay, but length-weight relations differed (ln(W)=3.021 ln(L)-11.82, Green Bay and Lake Michigan East of Door County, Wisconsin; ln(W)=3.27 ln(L)-13.26, Lake Michigan south of Door County, Wisconsin). In Green Bay, smaller burbot (