Burbot were collected between 24 October and 11 November, 1992, from the Wapiti, Smoky, and Peace rivers to determine the distribution of contaminants within this speciesthroughouttheNRBSstudyarea. ThreecollectionsiteswerelocatedontheSmoky River, one on the Wapiti River, and six on the Slave River downstream from the Town of Peace River. Collection sites were located downstream from pulp mills.
In total, 157 burbot were collected using baited set lines and retained for contaminant analysis. Burbot collected from the Peace River ranged between 358 and 1043 mm TL and from 4 to 19 years. The longest burbot (1043 mm) was collected downstream from the Diashowa Mill and represents a length record for burbot in Alberta. Burbot from the Wapiti River had higher growth rates than burbot sampled from the Smoky or Peace rivers. Preferred habitats of burbot were those with moderately deep or deep water or low velocity such as side-channels, snyes and back eddies.
Few traditional fishing sites on the rivers were identified by native liaisons. Between the Keg and Wolverine rivers, the Peace River has several deep holes and is a traditional fish area. The only other traditional fishing areas identified were the mouths of the Wabasca, Lawrence, and Wentzel rivers and the Vermilion Chutes.