Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Habitat use of non-native burbot in a western river

  • BURBOT ECOLOGY
  • Published:
Hydrobiologia Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Burbot, Lota lota (Linnaeus), were illegally introduced into the Green River drainage, Wyoming in the 1990s. Burbot could potentially alter the food web in the Green River, thereby negatively influencing socially, economically, and ecologically important fish species. Therefore, managers of the Green River are interested in implementing a suppression program for burbot. Because of the cost associated with the removal of undesirable species, it is critical that suppression programs are as effective as possible. Unfortunately, relatively little is known about the habitat use of non-native burbot in lotic systems, severely limiting the effectiveness of any removal effort. We used hurdle models to identify habitat features influencing the presence and relative abundance of burbot. A total of 260 burbot was collected during 207 sampling events in the summer and autumn of 2013. Regardless of the season, large substrate (e.g., cobble, boulder) best predicted the presence and relative abundance of burbot. In addition, our models indicated that the occurrence of burbot was inversely related to mean current velocity. The efficient and effective removal of burbot from the Green River largely relies on an improved understanding of the influence of habitat on their distribution and relative abundance.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allendorf, F. W., R. F. Leary, N. P. Hitt, K. L. Knudsen, L. L. Lundquist & P. Spruell, 2004. Intercrosses and the U.S. Endangered Species Act: should hybridized populations be included as westslope cutthroat trout? Conservation Biology 18: 1203–1213.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baxter, P. W. J., S. L. Sabo, C. Wilcox, M. A. McCarthy & H. P. Possingham, 2007. Cost-effective suppression and eradication of invasive predators. Conservation Biology 22: 89–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berthou, G. A., 2007. The characteristics of invasive fishes: what has been learned so far? Journal of Fish Biology 71: 33–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burnham, K. P. & D. R. Anderson, 2002. Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: A Practical Information Theoretic Approach, 2nd ed. Springer, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chornesky, E. A. & J. M. Randall, 2003. The threat of invasive alien species to biological diversity: setting a future course. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 90: 67–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Copp, G. H., P. G. Bianco, N. Bogutskaya, T. Erős, I. Falka, M. T. Ferreira, M. G. Fox, J. Freyhof, R. E. Gozlan, J. Grabowska, V. Kováč, R. Moreno-Amich, A. M. Naseka, M. Peňáz, M. Povž, M. Przybylski, M. Robillard, I. C. Russell, S. Stakėnas, S. Šumer, A. Vila-Gispert & C. Wiesner, 2005. To be, or not to be, a non-native freshwater fish? Journal of Applied Ichthyology 2: 242–262.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Development Core Team, R., 2013. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. Vienna, R Foundations for Statistical Computing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dillen, A., J. Coeck & D. Monnier, 2008. Habitat use and seasonal migrations of burbot in lowland rivers in North France. In Paragamian, V. L. & D. H. Bennett (eds), Burbot: Ecology, Management, and Culture. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 29–42.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dixon, C. J. & J. C. Vokoun, 2009. Burbot resource selection in small streams near the southern extent of the species range. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 18: 234–246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dux, A. M., C. S. Guy & W. A. Fredenberg, 2011. Spatiotemporal distribution and population characteristics of a nonnative lake trout population, with implications for suppression. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 3: 1187–1196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Edsall, T. A., G. W. Kennedy & W. H. Horns, 1993. Distribution, abundance, and resting microhabitat of burbot on Julian’s Reef, southwestern Lake Michigan. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 122: 560–574.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eick, D., 2013. Habitat preference of the burbot (Lota lota) from the River Elbe: an experimental approach. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 29: 541–548.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzpatrick, F. A., I. R. Waite, P. J. D’Arconte, M. R. Meador, M. A. Maupin & M. E. Gurtz, 1998. Revised methods for characterizing stream habitat in the national water-quality assessment program. U.S. Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations. No. 98–4052.

  • Fischer, P., 2000. An experimental test of metabolic and behavioral responses of benthic fish species to different types of substrate. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 57: 2336–2344.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fischer, D. P., 2008. Life history aspects of the burbot Lota lota (Linnaeus) in the upper Alleghany River. Master’s Thesis, Pennsylvania State University, State College.

  • Flotemersch, J. E., J. B. Stribling & M. J. Paul, 2006. Concepts and approaches for the bioassessment of non-wadeable streams and rivers. United States Environmental Protection Agency. No. 600–R–06–127.

  • Gardunio, E. I., C. A. Myrick, R. A. Ridenour, R. M. Keith & C. J. Amadio, 2011. Invasion of illegally introduced burbot in the upper Colorado River basin, USA. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 27: 36–42.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garrido, S., A. M. P. Santos, A. dos Santos & P. Ré, 2009. Spatial distribution and vertical migrations of fish larvae communities off northwestern Iberia sampled with LHPR and Bongo nets. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 84: 463–475.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goetz, K. T., R. A. Montgomery, J. M. Ver Hoef, R. C. Hobbs & D. S. Johnson, 2012. Identifying essential summer habitat of the endangered beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Endangered Species Research 16: 135–147.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gozlan, R. E., E. J. Peeler, M. Longshaw, S. St-Hilaire & S. W. Feist, 2006. Effect of microbial pathogens on the diversity of aquatic populations, notably in Europe. Microbes and Infection 8: 1358–1364.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gozlan, R. E., J. R. Britton, I. G. Cowx & G. H. Copp, 2010. Current knowledge on non-native freshwater fish introductions. Journal of Fish Biology 76: 751–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofmann, N. & P. Fischer, 2002. Temperature preferences and critical thermal limits of burbot: implications for habitat selection and ontogenetic habitat shift. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 131: 1164–1172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hosmer Jr, D. W. & S. Lemeshow, 1989. Applied Logistic Regression. Wiley, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howes, G. J., 1991. Biogeography of gadoid fishes. Journal of Biogeography 18: 595–622.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hubert, W. A., D. Dufek, J. Deromedi, K. Johnson, S. Roth & D. Skates, 2008. Burbot in the Wind River drainage of Wyoming: knowledge of stocks and management issues. In Paragamian, V. L. & D. H. Bennett (eds), Burbot: Ecology, Management, and Culture. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda, MD: 187–200.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jaeger, M. E., A. V. Zale, T. E. McMahon & B. J. Schmitz, 2005. Seasonal movements, habitat use, aggregation, exploitation, and entrainment of saugers in the lower Yellowstone River: an empirical assessment of factors precluding recovery. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 25: 1550–1568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, D. R., J. W. Kiceniuk & O. S. Bamford, 1974. Evaluation of the swimming performance of several species of fish from the Mackenzie River. Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada 31: 1641–1647.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein, Z. B., M. C. Quist, D. T. Rhea & A. C. Senecal, in press. Sampling techniques for burbot in a western non-wadeable river. Journal of Fisheries Management and Ecology.

  • Knapp, R. A., D. M. Boiano & V. T. Vredenburg, 2007. Removal of non-native fish results in population expansion of a declining amphibian (mountain yellow-legged frog, Rana muscosa). Biological Conservation 135: 11–20.

    Article  PubMed Central  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kurtz, J., 1980. Fishery Management Investigations – A Study of the Upper Green River Fishery, Sublette County, Wyoming 1975–1979. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Cheyenne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marchetti, M. P., P. B. Moyle & R. Levine, 2004. Invasive species profiling? Exploring the characteristics of non-native fishes across invasion stages in California. Freshwater Biology 49: 646–661.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, T. G., B. A. Wintle, J. R. Rhodes, P. M. Kuhnert, S. A. Field, S. J. Low-Choy, A. J. Tyre & H. P. Possingham, 2005. Zero tolerance ecology: improving ecological inference by modeling the source of zero observations. Ecology Letters 8: 1235–1246.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Maunder, M. N. & A. E. Punt, 2004. Standardizing catch and effort data: a review of recent approaches. Fisheries Research 70: 141–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald, D. B., T. L. Parchman, M. R. Bower, W. A. Hubert & F. J. Rahel, 2008. An introduced and a native vertebrate hybridize to form a genetic bridge to a second native species. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 31: 10837–10842.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDowall, R. M., 2006. Crying wolf, crying foul, or crying shame: alien salmonids and a biodiversity crisis in the southern cool-temperate galaxoid fishes? Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 16: 233–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McFadden, D., 1974. Conditional logit analysis of qualitative choice behavior. In Zarembka, P. (Ed.), Frontiers of Economics. Academic Press, New York: 105–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • McHugh, P. & P. Budy, 2005. An experimental evaluation of competitive and thermal effects on brown trout (Salmo trutta) and Bonneville cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki utah) performance along an altitudinal gradient. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 62: 2784–2795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McMahon, T. E., A. V. Zale & D. J. Orth, 1996. Aquatic habitat measurements. In Murphy, B. R. & D. W. Willis (eds), Fisheries Techniques, 2nd ed. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 83–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • McPhail, J. D. & V. L. Paragamian, 2000. Burbot biology and life history. In Paragamian, V. L. & D. W. Willis (eds), Burbot: Biology, Ecology, and Management. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 11–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mills, D. M., R. B. Radar & M. C. Belk, 2004. Complex interactions between native and invasive fish: the simultaneous effects of multiple negative interactions. Oceologia 141: 713–721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miranda, L. E., 2009. Standardizing electrofishing power for boat electrofishing. In Bonar, S. A., W. A. Hubert & D. W. Willis (eds), Standard Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 223–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mueller, G. A., 2005. Predatory fish removal and native fish recovery in the Colorado River mainstem. Fisheries 30: 10–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muhlfeld, C. C., T. E. McMahon, M. C. Boyer & R. E. Gresswell, 2009. Local habitat, watershed, and biotic factors influencing the spread of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout. Transaction of the American Fisheries Society 138: 1036–1051.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Naylor, R., K. Hindar, I. A. Fleming, R. Goldburg, S. Willams, J. Volpe, F. Whoriskey, J. Eagle, D. Kelso & M. Mangel, 2005. Fugitive salmon: assessing the risks of escaped fish from net-pen aquaculture. BioScience 55: 427–437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neebling, T. E. & M. C. Quist, 2011. Comparison of boat electrofishing, trawling, and seining for sampling fish assemblages in Iowa’s nonwadeable rivers. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 31: 390–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Neilson, K., R. Kelleher, G. Barnes, D. Speirs & J. Kelly, 2004. Use of fine-mesh monofilament gill nets for the removal of rudd (Scardinius etythrophthalmus) from a small lake complex in Waikato, New Zealand. New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 38: 525–539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Orth, D. J. & O. E. Maughan, 1982. Evaluation of the incremental methodology for recommending in-stream flows for fish. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 111: 413–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Paragamian, V. L., 2000. The effects of variable discharges on burbot spawning migrations in the Kootenai River, Idaho, USA, and British Columbia, Canada. In Paragamian, V. L. & D. W. Willis (eds), Burbot: Biology, Ecology, and Management. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 111–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkos III, J. J., V. J. Santucci Jr & D. H. Wahl, 2003. Effects of adult common carp (Cyprinus carpio) on multiple trophic levels in shallow mesocosms. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 60: 182–192.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, J. T. & C. P. Paukert, 2009. Converting nonstandard fish sampling data to standardized data. In Bonar, S. A., W. A. Hubert & D. W. Willis (eds), Standard Methods for Sampling North American Freshwater Fishes. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 195–215.

    Google Scholar 

  • Penne, C. R. & C. L. Pierce, 2008. Seasonal distribution, aggregation, and habitat selection of common carp in Clear Lake, Iowa. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 137: 1050–1062.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pimentel, D., R. Zuniga & D. Morrison, 2005. Update on the environmental and economic costs associated with alien-invasive species in the United States. Ecological Economics 52: 273–288.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pyšek, P. & D. M. Richardson, 2010. Invasive species, environmental change and management, and health. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 35: 25–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quist, M. C. & W. A. Hubert, 2004. Bioinvasive species and the preservation of cutthroat trout in the western United States: ecological, social, and economic issues. Environmental Science and Policy 7: 303–313.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rahel, F. J., 2002. Homogenization of freshwater faunas. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 33: 291–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rieman, B. E. & J. D. McIntyre, 1995. Occurrence of bull trout in naturally fragmented habitat patches of varied size. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 124: 285–296.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rich, C. F., T. E. McMahon, B. E. Rieman & W. L. Thompson, 2003. Local-habitat, watershed, and biotic features associated with bull trout occurrence in Montana streams. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 132: 1053–1064.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schloesser, J. T., C. P. Paukert, W. J. Doyle, T. D. Hill, K. D. Steffensen & V. H. Travnichek, 2012. Heterogeneous detection probabilities for imperiled Missouri River fishes: implications for large-river monitoring programs. Endangered Species Research 16: 211–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scribner, K. T., K. S. Page & M. L. Barton, 2001. Hybridization in freshwater fishes: a review of case studies and cytonuclear methods of biological inference. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 10: 293–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simberloff, D., 2003. How much information on population biology is needed to manage introduced species? Conservation Biology 17: 83–92.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sindt, A. R., M. C. Quist & C. L. Pierce, 2012. Habitat associations of fish species of greatest conservation need at multiple spatial scales in wadeable Iowa streams. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 32: 1046–1061.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Slavík, O., L. Bartoš & D. Mattas, 2005. Does stream morphology predict the home range size in burbot? Environmental Biology of Fishes 74: 89–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, C. D., 2013. Assessment of sampling techniques and fish assemblage structure in large western river systems. Master’s Thesis, University of Idaho, Moscow.

  • Stapanian, M. A., C. P. Madenjian, C. R. Bronte, M. P. Ebener, B. F. Lantry & J. D. Stockwell, 2008. Status of burbot populations in the Laurentian Great Lakes. In Paragamian, V. L. & D. H. Bennett (eds), Burbot: Ecology, Management, and Culture. American Fisheries Society, Bethesda: 111–130.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stapanian, M. A., V. L. Paragamian, C. P. Madenjian, J. R. Jackson, J. Lapppalainen, M. J. Evenson & M. D. Neufeld, 2010. Worldwide status of burbot and conservation measures. Fish and Fisheries 11: 34–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tammi, J., A. Lappalainen, J. Mannio, M. Rask & J. Vuorenmaa, 1999. Effects of eutrophication on fish and fisheries in Finnish lakes: a survey based on random sampling. Fisheries Management and Ecology 6: 173–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taniguchi, Y., K. D. Fausch & S. Nakano, 2002. Size-structured interactions between native and introduced species: can intrigued predation facilitate invasion by stream salmonids? Biological Invasions 4: 223–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tzilkowski, C., J. R. Stauffer Jr. & D. Fischer, 2004. Survey of inland populations of burbot (Lota lota) in Pennsylvania. Final report ME # 381152, Pennsylvania State University, University Park.

  • Wenger, S. J. & M. C. Freeman, 2008. Estimating species occurrence, abundance, and detection probability using zero-inflated distributions. Ecology 89: 2953–2959.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • White, J. L. & B. C. Harvey, 2001. Effects of an introduced piscivorous fish on native benthic fishes in a coastal river. Freshwater Biology 46: 987–995.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J. J. & C. H. Graham, 2005. Niche conservatism: integrating evolution, ecology, and conservation biology. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 36: 519–539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiens, J. J., D. D. Ackerly, A. P. Allen, B. L. Anacker, L. B. Buckley, H. V. Cornell, E. I. Damschen, T. J. Davies, J. A. Grytnes, S. P. Harrison, B. A. Hawkins, R. D. Holt, C. M. McCain & P. R. Stephens, 2010. Niche conservatism as an emerging principle in ecology and conservation biology. Ecology Letters 13: 1310–1324.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wiley, R. W., 1974. Tributary Stream Inventory 1972–1974. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Cheyenne.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 2010. Wyoming State Wildlife Action Plan. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Cheyenne.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank J. Johnson and S. Opitz for assistance with field work. We also thank R. Keith, H. Sexauer, M. Smith, and T. Neebling of Wyoming Game and Fish Department for their assistance in planning and implementation of field research. We thank E. Buzbas, F. Wilhelm, T. Ross, and three anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments. Funding for the project was provided by Wyoming Game and Fish Department. 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, and Idaho Department of Fish and Game, and Wildlife Management Institute. This project was conducted under the University of Idaho Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Protocol 2011-33. The use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS 1141, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA

    Zachary B. Klein

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS 1141, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA

    Michael C. Quist

  3. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 432 East Mill Street, Pinedale, WY, 82941, USA

    Darren T. Rhea

  4. Wyoming Game and Fish Department, 351 Astle, Green River, WY, 82935, USA

    Anna C. Senecal

Authors
  1. Zachary B. Klein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael C. Quist
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Darren T. Rhea
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Anna C. Senecal
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zachary B. Klein.

Additional information

Guest editors: Martin A. Stapanian & Christopher A. Myrick / Ecology, Culture, and Management of Burbot

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Klein, Z.B., Quist, M.C., Rhea, D.T. et al. Habitat use of non-native burbot in a western river. Hydrobiologia 757, 61–71 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2176-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2176-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation