HOUGHTON — When it comes to targeted species for anglers, Copper Country has its staples such as Lake Trout, Splake, Coho Salmon, King Salmon and Steelhead. However, there is another fish within Lake Superior and its watersheds that has gained the attention of anglers — burbot. Burbot are freshwater cod which are gaining popularity due to its flavor, which can taste similar to lobster when prepared with butter, earning it the name “poor man’s lobster.” Anglers are not the only ones taking interest however, as researchers and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources are taking a closer look at the fish.

Two second-year PhD students at Michigan Technological University, Greyson Wolf and Grant Dlesk, are conducting two separate studies in a burbot project to better understand the fish. Wolf is looking into the social side of anglers harvesting burbot and what drew their attention to the species while Dlesk is focusing on the genetics of burbot in Lake Superior. Burbot have been unregulated by the DNR regarding harvest, but recently regulations have been implemented for a limit of five fish per day which goes into effect April 1, 2026. Though burbot are known to be deep water fish, they are certainly finding themselves in the spotlight as of late.

Wolf has observed social media influencers and anglers spreading word of the peculiar fish over social which could be contributing to its discovery by the occasional fisherman. Accidental catches while targeting another species is another factor which has led to fishermen seeking burbot, and I myself can attest to this as someone who barely knew of the fish until I caught it while fishing for Lake Trout off the shores of Keweenaw Bay.

When I shared what I caught with people in L’Anse and Baraga, the more experienced fishermen hyped up the flavor, telling me it would be some of the best fish I ever tasted. After frying it up and eating it, I can say those fishermen were not wrong. Burbot’s flavor is not as fishy as you’d think, and the texture is what makes it best. Biting into a piece of burbot has more similar resistance like that of chicken than compared to most fish. I was once told by a fisherman who caught a burbot by accident that he was repulsed by its appearance and was skeptical of the flavor, but after eating it, burbot became his favorite species to target. After having burbot myself, I completely understand.

Wolf is looking into this growing interest, and is observing the multiple reasons through a survey. “It’s curious to kind of understand how this shift in perception has changed over time. With this human dimension survey that I’m putting together, [we’re looking at] how anglers’ values and kind of perceptions of the species have changed over time, and what really has sparked this new found interest in the species, and what that might mean for the future management of the species, and how anglers are able to interact with populations up here,” Wolf said.

Wolf observed regulations in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan and will see how they impact the population. Minnesota has had regulations for a couple years, Wisconsin none and Michigan only recently implementing some. Wolf is looking to see how anglers react to a once completely unregulated species and their opinions on the matter. Wolf said statistics from Ontario could potentially be included in the research.

The research is not just legality and culture-driven, with Dlesk looking deeper into genetics and reproduction. “One of the main reasons why we were interested is that burbot can return to rivers to spawn, but they can also spawn on some of these kind of offshore reefs [and] the DNR has some anecdotal evidence of them spawning in deep water reefs in offshore in Lake Superior in the summer and spring, where most burbot would spawn during the winter,” Dlesk said. “So there’s potentially a lot of variability in when they’re spawning and where they’re spawning.”

Dlesk explained there is a possibility burbot could be genetically distinct in Lake Superior with multiple subpopulations. Past studies, according to Dlesk, revealed genetically distinct fish from the Great Lakes compared to burbot found in rivers. Researchers from Tech and the DNR are collecting burbot samples and sending them to a lab in Idaho for further analysis. Preliminary findings from the St. Louis River near Duluth, and the Chocolay River southeast of Marquette revealed burbot are genetically distinct from burbot sampled in Lake Superior whether they were found near Ontonagon, Marquette or Isle Royale.

“So even a fish that was caught around Marquette in Lake Superior, even though the Chocolay River is only a few miles away, were genetically distinct. So that’s kind of supporting our idea that these kind of different reproduction times and places in burbot are leading to these sort of genetically distinct populations,” Dlesk explained.

How the two studies overlap in the project can be observed here. The burbot fishermen have been targeting at river mouths or bays such as Keweenaw Bay are likely migratory fish which were turning to spawn.

“If you’re removing a lot of those populations, you might be affecting the genetic diversity of those subpopulations, rather than some of the burbot that are spawning in those deep water reefs,” Dlesk said.

If too many burbot are removed of a particular genetic lineage, it can have a negative impact on the population. Dlesk emphasized a high genetic diversity because it allows offspring to be more adaptable to things such as climatic changes. Burbot which inbreed have a reduction in overall health and effect their survivability in the future.

“Say, if you heavily remove all the fish from the Chocolay River, except for a few, only those few individuals would be reproducing together. So there’s much greater risk that they’re going to have some consequences of that. So maybe they’ll just have lower growth, lower reproduction, or they might be less adaptable to fish in other parts of Lake Superior that might be better able to cope with warming [water] or some other stressors,” Dlesk said.

When it comes to why the project is ongoing, Dlesk and Wolf both explained the burbot though not a popular fish before due to its appearance, gained attention and because of this, ecosystem impacts must be considered. Dlesk said burbot are beneficial to the ecosystem and are a native species unlike Asian Carp and sea lamprey. With burbot not being a sport fish but not a nuisance fish, they fell into a middle category many overlooked.

As a fisherman who enjoys harvesting burbot, I can say I am very excited and intrigued by this project. As someone who enjoys the bounties of natural resources, it is imperative that those resources are well understood and preserved for future use and the continued balance of a healthy ecosystem. The burbot is a fish which is a bit more unique when compared to all the other fish swimming in the lake, and it would be a shame to see its presence threatened just when it was beginning to become better known.

The soon to be implemented five fish limit per day provides enough meat to fishermen, and the restriction can be factored into further studies. Perhaps research will show no restrictions are necessary, or they’ll suggest further restrictions are needed. Either way, burbot are making a splash everyone is noticing.