Burbot Conserving the Enigmatic Freshwater Codfish

About this book

The burbot has a unique ecology as the only member of the order of cod-like fishes found in freshwater. It is the second most widely distributed freshwater fish in the Northern Hemisphere, variously threatened, extinct or thriving across different parts of this wide Palaearctic range.

Burbot were driven to extinction from Britain most probably in the 1970s, the last recorded specimen caught in 1969 in Cambridgeshire. Particularly over the past decade, a large body of work has addressed potential reintroduction of the burbot to Britain.

The burbot's diverse habitat and other needs throughout its life stages also mean that the species is a flagship for a diversity of other wildlife of restored river systems, and of the human benefits that these ecosystems can provide.

Burbot is an excellent source for all those involved in freshwater fish and fisheries management, conservation and exploitation, including fish biologists (ichthyologists), environmental scientists, freshwater biologists, fisheries managers and scientists, conservation biologists, engineers and hydrologists. The libraries of all universities and research establishments where these subjects are studied and taught should have a copy. Anglers and all those interested in fishes and natural history will also benefit from this book.

Contents

Introduction: The curious case of the burbot
Chapter 1: Natural history of the burbot
Chapter 2: Burbot distribution
Chapter 3: Angling for burbot
Chapter 4: Cultural connections with burbot
Chapter 5: Burbot conservation
Chapter 6: Reintroduction of burbot to Britain
Chapter 7: Epilogue

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Biography

Dr Mark Everard is Associate Professor of Ecosystem Services at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. Among his most recent titles are The Ecology of Everyday Things (CRC/Taylor & Francis, 2021), Rebuilding the Earth: Regenerating Our Planet's Life Support Systems for a Sustainable Future (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) and The Complex Lives of British Freshwater Fishes (CRC/Taylor & Francis, 2020).