Deep in the waters of the Great Lakes lives the only freshwater member of the cod family, the burbot (Lota lota). Known by many other names, including the lawyer and the eelpout, the burbot is a predator that lives near the bottom of lakes. Burbot are solitary predators that feed on smaller fish but when the water cools down, burbot gather to spawn in the middle of winter. The burbot supports a small commercial fishery in Lake Michigan and is prized for its flaky, white flesh (aka poor-man’s-lobster). This virtual presentation and demonstration discusses the biology and ecology of the burbot and then peeks inside with a live dissection of an actual burbot
After you watch the video, challenge yourself!
- For youth: Activity sheet: in Word, PDF or as editable Google Doc
- For educators: Answer key
Learn more about the burbot!
- Wisconsin Sea Grant’s Fish ID
- Eat Wisconsin Fish – about burbot
- Recipes for cooking Great Lakes fish
- Minnesota DNR’s burbot page
- news article: Burbot fish sing during spawning
- journal article: Under-ice acoustic signaling
#ColorTheGreatLakes with our Burbot coloring sheet and our Great Lakes coloring sheets!
Looking for more Great Lakes at Home fun? See our distance learning page
