As aquaculture expands in the United States, there is a need to investigate novel fish species that may offer producers new products for the domestic market. Burbot ( Lota lota), have shown strong potential as a new aquaculture species in the western states. B urbot share similar culture requirements to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and have been shown to be relatively resistant to many salmonid pathogens, thus providing an excellent opportunity for diversif ication of trout production facilities. At the University of Idaho, there have been recent efforts to evaluate commercial diet selection, pathogen susceptibility, and life stage culture optimization for this species. F indings to date have provided insight for expanding burbot culture. The proposed research project will use recently published methodologies developed for other cultured species to investigate the ability of burbot to utilize plant-based feed ingredients and characterize some aspects of burbot immunity and health. This current study will develop and investigate areas of burbot nutrition, stress physiology and immunology related to the commercial development of this species. The specific objectives of this project will be to: 1) characterize the intestinal microbiota associated with feeding burbot plant-based diets, 2) evaluate the influence of rearing stressors in burbot culture, 3) investigate an array of burbot immune metrics and assess virulence of pathogenic bacteria isolated from commercial burbot operations and 4) assess the potential for killed vaccines to be used to prevent disease in this species. The results from this project will be of interest to commercial coldwater aquaculture producers, as well as agencies expanding burbot culture for management implications. Further, this project will provide novel findings on the burbot immune system and determine the feasibility and e ffects of vaccination efforts for this species. Increased production and stimulation within the domestic aquaculture sector will assist with curbing the current trade deficient and help achieve the necessary increase in global food production required by 2050.