©Bryan Kao
August 12, 2024
Nothing Beats a Cool Fish on a Hot Summer Day
- as seen by -
Bryan Kao
One of the most fascinating cold-water lake fish is the amusing-looking burbot (Lota lota). Ranging across North America, Europe, and Asia but restricted to cold freshwater habitats above 40 degrees north, the burbot is the only freshwater member of Gadiformes, the order containing cod, haddock, hake, and other commercially important marine fish. Gadoid fish are known for their barbels, long facial sensory organs used to probe for food, which are helpful as many prefer dwelling at dark and murky cold depths. In particular, the burbot’s single chin barbel is reminiscent of an Egyptian pharaoh’s artificial beard or a long goatee, and it helps it search for smaller fish, insects, and frogs in nooks and crannies at the bottom of rivers and lakes.
Another interesting fact about burbots is that they can sing. During their breeding season in frozen lakes in winter, they contract their muscles against their gas-filled swim bladders like beating a drum, allowing them to find each other in dark waters.
During a summer heat wave, I visited Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery and Aquarium, a small gem of an educational center in Long Island with an impressive collection of reptiles, amphibians, and freshwater fish native to the state of New York. Getting out of the 95 F sun into the cool aquarium made for a day of contrasts. I wish I could have dove into a lake and snorkeled looking for burbots and other creatures beating the heat.
Canon Powershot G9X
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