Burbot

Burbot stand apart within freshwater life: they are the sole freshwater representative of the cod-like order of fishes. Across the Northern Hemisphere, they rank as the second most widespread freshwater fish, and their fortunes vary greatly across the broad paleoarctic region, where some populations hold firm, some are at risk, and others have vanished.

In Britain, the burbot was lost, most likely during the 1970s. The last confirmed capture was recorded in 1969 in Cambridgeshire. In recent years, and especially the last decade, a substantial body of research has explored whether the species could be brought back to British waters.

Because the burbot needs varied habitats at each stage of its life, it also serves as an indicator for the wider wildlife of restored river systems and for the benefits such ecosystems offer people. The book will be valuable to anyone working in freshwater fish science, fisheries management, conservation, or the fishing industry.