WCS Canada Comments - Angler Use and Movement of Baitfish - December 2014
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]
Abstract
Live bait fishing uses live animals such as small fish, frogs, and leeches to attract larger game fish, and is popular with recreational anglers because it is an effective way to catch fish. We strongly agree with the need to revise Ontario's live baitfish use policy. We agree with an outright ban on live bait in Ontario due to the associated ecological risks, which include invasive species and pathogens with potentially significant impacts on recreational and commercial fisheries. If a complete ban is not possible, we support reducing the number of legal baitfish species. We recommend restricting the movement of bait to stay within tertiary or quaternary watersheds where the bait is harvested, and re-aligning Fisheries Management Zone, especially 1 and 2 in the Far North, to conform to watersheds boundaries. We also support the prohibition of bait storage by anglers and recommend that bait use be restricted from sensitive areas.
Recommended citation
Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada] (2014). WCS Canada Comments - Angler Use and Movement of Baitfish - December 2014. WCS Canada. https://wcscanada.org/resources/wcs-canada-comments-angler-use-and-movement-of-baitfish-december-2014/
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Metadata
- Title
- WCS Canada Comments - Angler Use and Movement of Baitfish - December 2014
- URL
- https://wcscanada.org/resources/wcs-canada-comments-angler-use-and-movement-of-baitfish-december-2014/
- Published
- 2014-12-18
- Author(s)
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada [WCS Canada]
- Publisher
- WCS Canada
Is Ontario’s Live Bait Industry Worth the Risk to our Lakes and Rivers?
About a year ago, I read something on a fisheries blog that piqued my curiosity: Ontario anglers were being fined on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River for fishing with live bait.
