Distribution and Habitat Use of Juvenile Burbot and Other Fishes in a Tributary of the Kootenai River

Burbot Lota lota in the lower Kootenai River have been the focus of extensive conservation efforts, particularly conservation aquaculture.  One of the primary release strategies has been small tributary releases.  In October of 2012, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game installed a fixed passive integrated transponder (PIT) antenna on Deep Creek, a major tributary to the Kootenai River, to evaluate movement of juvenile Burbot to the Kootenai River.  Approximately 9,000 juvenile Burbot have been PIT tagged and released into Deep Creek since 2012, but few Burbot have been detected at the antenna.  This raises questions about the survival, distribution, movement, habitat associations, and species associations of juvenile Burbot in Deep Creek.  The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate survival, distribution, and movement and (2) evaluate habitat associations and species associations of Burbot in Deep Creek.  Additional fixed PIT tag antennas were installed on Deep Creek in October of 2014 prior to stocking.  Fixed PIT tag antennas have detected Burbot and are providing data about movement of juvenile Burbot in the Deep Creek system.  Future attempts to answer questions of survival, habitat associations, and species associations will include the use of mobile PIT tag antennas.