 Me
and My Burbot
Spineless catfish! Skin ling! Maria loch! Ling
cod! Lawyer!
Are these my preferred epithets to shout at a rude driver? Not at all,
they are simply a selection from the limitless names for my newly adopted
Lake Superior species - the burbot.
For a modest fee, I adopted an eelpout (yet another name) at the Great
Lakes Aquarium & Freshwater Discovery Center. I contribute to the little
guy’s upkeep, which is good because burbots eat big - one was caught with
179 little fishes in its stomach - and grow big - the largest caught on
Lake Superior exceeded 18 pounds and 31/2 feet. Every
February in Walker, Minnesota, there is a fishing festival not to celebrate
but to sauté eelpout. Festival ice fishing folk willingly, maybe
eagerly, have donated eelpout to the aquarium.
Some might say cylindrical, mottled burbots have faces only an editor can
love, but my lawyer has cool attributes. It’s the only fresh-water cod,
probably trapped in the Great Lakes after some prehistoric salt-water sea
receded. Plus these cod spawn in January under the ice in a seething ball
of burbots that can number up to 100. How cool (or cold) is that?
True, I talked the aquarium staff into letting me adopt a burbot. It isn’t
on their adoptables list, which includes sexier species like bald eagles,
tree frogs, lake sturgeon, Arctic graylings, otters or wood ducks. But
who would feed my burbot? And what other fish offers this delightful variety
of monikers? Hey, when I donate for a burbot, I get a lota-lota for my
money … lota-lota being its scientific name.
Why, you must be asking by now, am I saluting the burbot? Why because I
want you to adopt a burbot, too. Or to adopt some other species … or adopt
another cause to ensure our water quality, to preserve our human past or
to conserve our natural present and future. I ask that you choose a way
to contribute to the care and upkeep of Lake Superior. The options are
many and fun. Join a historical society, a land trust or a maritime association.
Contribute time or dollars to a regional museum, to preserve a lighthouse
or to educate about lake issues. “Sweep” a beach with friends and relatives.
 Then
you can help us as we embark on promotion of this simple lakeside philosophy:
Help Us Keep
Our Lake Superior.
During the next year and working toward our 25th anniversary in 2004, Lake
Superior Magazine will unveil ways to promote that spirit among residents
and visitors. As always, we’ll report others’ efforts to do the same. In
this issue, for instance, you’ll meet Elmer Engman, our 2002 Achievement
Award winner, whose quiet determination keeps alive interest in the lake
and its history.
You already do help us in our efforts by subscribing (or you could subscribe
… that’s my little plug). As the only magazine reporting about all of Lake
Superior, we host the lakewide exchange of ideas. We know that reading
about the lake, meeting the people around it and thinking about how to
enjoy and protect it is important to you. It has always meant a lota-lota
to me.
Konnie LeMay
Editor
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