# Reminder: Flaming Gorge Burbot



## sklobe25 (Jul 11, 2010)

with the Burbot Bash and other derbies coming up, just sending a reminder out about a study taking place on the Gorge.

Burbot tagged with *green* floy tags are not prize fish for the Bash (prize fish have red tags). They are equipped with an acoustic tag for a study on burbot life history.
If you catch a burbot with a green tag in WY, please return the fish.
If you catch a burbot with a green tag in UT, please retrieve the acoustic tag and return to the UDWR.

More info here:
http://wgfd.wyo.gov/web2011/NEWS-1001073.aspx
http://wildlife.utah.gov/dwr/news/42-ut ... urbot.html


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## LOAH (Sep 29, 2007)

sklobe25 said:


> If you catch a burbot with a green tag in WY, please return the fish.


Return the fish to the water?

Just clarifying, as returning a live burbot to the water seems counter productive to the management goal.


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## sklobe25 (Jul 11, 2010)

Yes, in WY where it is legal to return burbot, it would be requested to do so for this special circumstance...thus, data collection can continue and management can be further directed with these data.

There are only 31 fish tagged with the internal telemerty tags so the chances of encountering one are quite low.

Of course, all other burbot without a green floy tag should most certainly only be released into a frying pan.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

LOAH said:


> sklobe25 said:
> 
> 
> > If you catch a burbot with a green tag in WY, please return the fish.
> ...


Last I knew burbot are classified as a game fish in Wyoming. (Burbot are native to Wyoming.) So technically you can't just throw them up in the rocks.

There is (was) a bill proposed to re-classify them as a trash fish. I'll check and see where the bill is at.


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

I thought that even though the burbot are sport fish in WY they are still invasive in the Gorge. The point to the bash is to eradicate them from the body of water where they have been illigally introduced. I sure hope they put this out at check-in or else there will be a lot of people thinking they won $10,000. Seems very odd and suspect to me.


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## KennyC (Apr 28, 2010)

Guess I didn't read far enough into the report before posting. Ooops, sorry about that. Still I hope that they put this info out at the bash prior to the start. $500 per tag is very pricy.


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## sklobe25 (Jul 11, 2010)

Burbot are native to Wyoming east of the Great Divide. Illegally introduced into Flaming Gorge.
Yes, they are game fish in Wyoming but in FGR harvest is encouraged. (Just don't waste them..and they are delicious anyways)
Like Goob said, I do believe they are in the process of possibly reclassifying for the Gorge.

The press releases (see original post) went out in fall and will likely again, along with information at registration of the Bash.


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

I believe they were illegally introduced into the gorge by the wyoming game and fish. From what I hear they mixed up a batch of fingerlings a few years ago and dumped them up stream and they have just migrated down stream into the gorge.


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## wyoguy (Mar 4, 2010)

swbuckmaster said:


> I believe they were illegally introduced into the gorge by the wyoming game and fish. From what I hear they mixed up a batch of fingerlings a few years ago and dumped them up stream and they have just migrated down stream into the gorge.


 But of course they deny this.


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