The lake whitefish's natural predators include burbot, lake trout, and northern pike. Fish species in the lake include walleye, yellow perch, northern pike, white sucker and burbot. White sucker, burbot, and whitefish also occur. The burbot, kingfishers, and terns, and pikes have been recorded preying on the pygmy whitefish. Lake trout, northern pike and burbot are natural predators. Newly hatched burbot larvae are pelagic, passively drifting in the open water. When spawning, many male burbot gather around one or two females, forming a spawning ball. The burbot ("Lota lota") is the only gadiform (cod-like) freshwater fish. In the United Kingdom, the burbot is possibly an extinct fish. In Lake Superior, burbot can live at depths below . Burbot populations are difficult to study, due to their deep habitats and reproduction under ice. Norwegians as late as the 1950s still used juniper wood to craft Burbot hooks. Average length of burbot by maturity is about , with slight sexual dimorphism. Burbot and its liver are a traditional winter food. The burbot may still survive in the UK.