Despite their wide distribution, burbot Lota lota have often been neglected by anglers and fish management agencies in North America (Quinn 2000). Only four of 20 states with burbot regulated their harvest as of 2000, yet growing angler interest in burbot in some regions, ecosystem-based management, and declines in some populations emphasize the need for greater focus on burbot by management entities. Several North American burbot populations have declined and the declines were attributed to over harvest (Bonar et al. 2000a; Paragamian et al. 2000; Quinn 2000; Ward et al. 2000), negative species interactions (Carl 1992; Bonar et al. 2000a), and impacts from hydropower development (Paragamian et al. 2000), decreased productivity (Paragamian et al. 2000), and reservoir fluctuations (Krueger and Hubert 1997).

In Washington State, populations of burbot are known to occur in 11 lakes and reservoirs in the upper Columbia River drainage (Bonar et al. 1997; Bonar et al. 2000a; Wydoski and Whitney 2003). A review of burbot stock status in Washington categorized the status of each population as healthy, depressed, critical, or unknown based on existing abundance, size structure, growth, and condition data (Bonar et al. 1997; Bonar et al. 2000a). The Lake Roosevelt population was considered healthy due to its stable abundance based on electrofishing and gill net catch-per-unit-effort (C/f) data, although nothing was known about size structure, growth, or condition. Subsequent to the status review, Polacek et al. (2006) analyzed data from burbot captured during electrofishing and gill net sampling conducted on Lake Roosevelt between 1988 and 2001. They indicated that abundance, based on C/f, had increased after 1994; though, all of the C/f values were relatively low and the trend analysis was qualitative. Growth and condition of Lake Roosevelt burbot were found to be low, which were attributed to poor rearing conditions in the reservoir (Polacek et al. 2006). They suggested that reservoir operations were unlikely to change, so if the Lake Roosevelt burbot population is a priority then it will likely have to be actively managed to achieve increases in abundance, survival, growth, and condition.

Standardized stock assessment data is needed to facilitate management of the Lake Roosevelt burbot population. Bonar et al. (1997; 2000a) pointed out the need for a standardized stock assessment program that monitors trends in abundance, growth, and condition of burbot in Washington State. Standardized fish sampling programs have been used to determine and monitor stock status of multiple fish populations (Ney 1993; Willis and Murphy 1996; Bonar et al. 2000b), including burbot (Bernard et al. 1993). Without a standardized stock assessment protocol, management biologists have no way of monitoring changes in burbot populations as a result of changes in management, exploitation, biological factors, or environmental factors. The Fall Walleye Index Netting (FWIN) program implemented annually in Lake Roosevelt may provide the standardized stock assessment program needed for monitoring burbot population status and trends (see the proposal for the Lake Roosevelt Fisheries Evaluation Project, BPA Project No. 1994-043-00) for a complete description of FWIN). The FWIN program, established in 2002, is used to monitor Lake Roosevelt walleye population trends, but burbot are regularly captured as bycatch in FWIN gill nets. Managers recognized the potential of FWIN for monitoring burbot stock status, so catch and biological data were also collected on burbot. However, the FWIN data for burbot has never been analyzed. It is unknown if FWIN is adequate (a=0.05, ß=0.20, effect=25%) for monitoring status and trends in stock assessment metrics (C/f, growth, condition). The goal of this project is to assess whether the FWIN data provides an acceptable index of burbot relative abundance, mortality, size and age structure, condition and growth. To accomplish this, we will subcontract a biometrician to complete the analysis of the FWIN data in 2013 and based on the results, we will revise our project proposal accordingly and submit for ISRP review, per the results of the Resident Fish Categorical Review.