Wildlife regulators approve burbot catch limits in Michigan

Anglers worry about Burbot's fishing booming in Michigan

Burbot are one of the few fish species in the Great Lakes that spawn in the winter, which means tracking their populations can be a challenge. Making the task even more difficult is that the species is nocturnal.

(FOX 2) - Wildlife regulators have codified new protections for a coldwater fish species in Michigan that has grown in popularity in recent years.

There are new catch limits for harvesting burbot in Michigan after the Natural Resource Commission approved regulations for anglers.

The latest:

Earlier in September, the NRC approved fisheries order 252.26, which now includes the burbot among several other fish species with rules about how many can be possessed.

The order requires anglers catch no fewer than five burbots a day. There is no minimum size for catching the fish species.

There are also catch limits for lake whitefish, round whitefish, Cisco, rainbow smelt, and arctic grayling.

Burbot can be caught at anytime of year, but are normally caught in the late spring when they spawn.

Burbot fishing in Michigan

Big picture view:

Burbot fishing has boomed in popularity in recent years, despite there being a lot unknown about the species. It's one of the few fish in Michigan that are active during the coldest months of the year.

They're active at night and prefer deeper waters, including Burt and Mullet Lakes and Saginaw Bay. Then, from December to February, they'll travel to shallow areas where the lake bed transitions from rock to vegetation.

Largely a hobby among a few anglers, more people have expressed interest in catching the species.

At the same time, burbot are struggling from a lack of nutrients in the water; a consequence of invasive zebra mussels establishing in the Great Lakes and siphoning food from the water.

A research project aims to determine where burbot reside in hopes of better understanding the population.