Burbot

Following on from the radio programme done by Chris Yates, has anyone any information as the when the last fully authenticated capture of a burbot took place and from which water.

It's interesting in that two of England's most famous anglers have tried to catch one.

**** Walker would have loved the glory of a burbot's capture. He spent weeks after one in the early 60s, but quite honestly I think he was on a wild goose chase.

There was this out of focus picture I seem to remember in AT of a burbot that was supposedly caught in the Great Ouse. But I think it turned out to be a small pollack or something similar.

Ron,Ive found an article in my Fisherman's handbook by the said Richard Walker and it states.

"In the sixties a Cambridge angler,John l'Anson,caught several Burbot from the little river Rhee,a tributary of the Cam,which itself feeds the Great Ouse.John caught these Burbot while fishing for eels at night with deadbaits or worms,returning them alive.
Subsequently,he invited Fred J Taylor and myself to accompany him in an attempt to repeat his success.But the expedition failed.It yielded a 3lb trout,several large eels and a monster ruffe weighing about half pound,but no Burbot"
He goes on to say that "it also produced an encounter with the furious farmer who accused them of letting his bullocks loose in his wheat.This allegation was quite unfounded but prevented further visits"
"Since then the Water authorities have dredged not only the Rhee but most other rivers that used to hold Burbot and as bottom dwellers that hid under stones and in oldpipes or any other shelter,dredging,carried out as usual without the thought for wildlife conservation,is disatrous."
In 1977 the Angling Times asked readers to report any catches this yielded a great response but no Burbot.
The general belief is that the Burbot inhabited all east flowing rivers from Durham to Suffolk.(not disimilar to the original; habitat of the Barbel)
Chris Yates programme, by the way,can still be picked up on the BBC Radio 4 website....Listen again.

I'd love to see an experimental restocking of them from Scandanavia to see if they could now thrive in the cleaner waters we now have.

Ok, it might push out some other species that have taken the space left by burbot, but it would have, imo, every right to reclaim its territory.

Better than zander, anyway.

I don't think it would be a bad idea to stock a few Lota lota into our easterly flowing rivers.

The dredging of many of our small rivers in the 60s and 70s was one of the most callous acts of vandalism ever performed by an authority in this country. This could very well have caused the demise of the burbot to say nothing of our native crayfish and other wildlife.

The burbot by the way, like the zander, is a superb table fish.

I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that there's not a single born-in-UK burbot living wild in any of the rivers to which it was indigenous. Strange that it should have died-out, though - I think I'm correct in saying that it is still found in Germany in the Rhine and its tributaries (and possibly elsewhere, but I'm not "up" on burbot distribution).

Every so often the "Do burbot still exist in UK?" question crops up, but I find it difficult to believe that a fish which, clearly, has been elusive for so long has managed to exist in sufficient numbers to sustain a breeding population. And as they ain't immortal, if they don't breed, they die out. Mind you, they're ugly little brutes, so they're no great loss!

Yes Jim, there are several photos of them on a few websites. They look like a cross between a cod and an eel. Grey to dirty brown in colour.

I believe they can weigh up to 6lbs.

**** Walker came to his stretch whilst I was there to catch lots of minnows which he mashed up for burbot groundbait.

Last one came from the Cottenham Lode near to it's junction with the Old West River. John I'Anson tried for several years to catch one. John is still alive and kicking but is very frail having been quite ill. I believe restocking would probably fail as the Burbot needs very cold water in which to spawn successfully. Cold water is something we get little of these days.

Colin

Apparently the Burbot can be found in Europe & Asia in lowland reaches of rivers and lakes in their floodplanes.It is found in brackish conditions in the Baltic Sea.
It can attain a length of 39" (50lb)but is normally about 20".
It is very good eating,especially it's liver.
Source:Key to the Fishes of Northern Europe by Alwyne Wheeler

The burbot was also called The Burbolt and the Eel Pout. I have a feeling that JW Martin - The Trent Otter, once caught a few.

Programme was fascinating. As an avid collector of obscure cookbooks have rummaged through them to se if they give any clue to burbot distribution.

Sadly not a hint...lots of recipes for zander, pike, perch, carp etc and I'm looking forward to challenging local Morrisons to provide a fogas (unique to Lake Balaton - a magyar delicacy) but nothing that seems to be a burbot.

Just listened to the Chris yates program and was utterely fascinated for 28mins or so.He really is a great broadcaster and writer(not to mention angler) i bet he could even make South africa sound interesting to FM members. Though it would be pushing even him to reverse the years of SA bombardment we get from Mr clay.

Margaret Butterworth's book of freshwater fish recipes "Now Cook Me the Fish" gives three recipes (Fried Burbot, Stewed Burbot and Burbot's Liver on Toast) but nothing on their distribution.
This work is made sublime by "Consolation Soup", to make a dish of "a medley of small river fish". Don't we all have days like that! (Apart from instant carpers).

Ron,
Woodbine angling yearbook 1972 lists 2.
Old West river Sept 1969 1-0, J Dean, and S Mackinder from the Relief Channel, 1-1, July 1970. Both accurately identified.