Fish virus a snag in the line

[kickingfrog]

http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3426739

 

Fish virus a snag in the line

Live-bait harvesters upset MNR not including anglers in disease control measures

By GISELE WINTON SARVIS - Special to QMI Agency

Posted 12:30 am Jan 6, 2012

 

Efforts by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) to slow the movement of a new fish virus is not sufficient and is only hurting the live bait industry, says a licensed live bait harvester and advocate.

 

As of Jan. 1, live-bait harvesters around lakes Simcoe and Couchiching can only collect and sell minnows within the newly imposed Lake Simcoe boundary, hampering sales to profitable areas such as Toronto and North Bay where demand outstrips supply. Harvesters have already suffered losses in recent years by no longer being able to collect and sell frogs, crayfish and leeches at will, said Jim Leworthy.

 

In the meantime, "the angler is able to buy and move bait around with no restrictions," possibly moving the virus around, Leworthy said.

 

"If the MNR was sincere in slowing the spread of the virus they would have stopped the angler movement of bait when they found out about it in 2005," Leworthy said.

 

In Leworthy's case, this new boundary cuts through his harvest territory in Muskoka at Housey's Falls Road. If he collects minnows in the river to the west of the road or the "virus" area, he can only sell them in the Lake Simcoe boundary area.

 

If he collects minnows on the same river, (connecting Kahshe Lake to Bass Lake) on the other side of the bridge, he can sell them to any non-virus area of the province.

 

"It's really kind of ridiculous. The fish don't recognize boundaries," Leworthy said.

 

A new invasive virus, viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) was first discovered in Lake Ontario in 2005 after tens of thousands of fish died off and testing revealed this new virus, said the MNR's John Cooper.

 

Following that, boundaries were set up for virus and virus-free zones and live bait harvesters were restricted from moving or selling live bait crossing these zones. They could formerly sell bait anywhere in the province.

 

In June 2011, a fish die-off in Lake Simcoe prompted the MNR to study the fish.

 

"Subsequent testing showed evidence that they were exposed to the virus," Cooper said. "The virus itself may not be sufficient to kill an animal."

 

Cooper said he doesn't know how it got into the lake.

 

"It could have come on a boat, the feathers of a bird or it could be live-bait anglers have brought in from other areas," he said.

 

Leworthy is convinced the virus entered Lake Simcoe from anglers.

 

"The angler movement of bait is rampant," he said.

 

The virus moved in from the Atlantic Ocean, Cooper said, but he doesn't know how it entered the Great Lakes.

 

"It was primarily a salt-water virus."

 

Leworthy wants to see the MNR legislate anglers to buy bait from the area in which they are fishing, but no efforts have been made to introduce legislation.

 

"It could be a possibility," he said of potential legislation. "We'd like to review this whole bait-fish issue. At this point, there hasn't been a change in legislation."

 

Since 2006, the MNR has been asking anglers to voluntarily use bait caught in the local area in which they fish, Cooper said. He said it's information that's available where people buy fishing licences and is a part of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters information about not spreading invasive species.

 

Stopping the spread of invasive species includes the washing of boat hulls between lakes and getting rid of unused bait on dry land, Cooper added.

 

The virus poses no health hazard to humans and fish carrying the virus can safely be eaten, Cooper added. Fish may or may not show symptoms of the virus. Dead or dying fish should not be eaten by humans or by their pets, he said.

 

The problem with the virus is the unknown future and risk to commercially and recreationally valuable fish species, Cooper said.

 

"We can't stop it but we are working to slow down its spread," Cooper said. "We're not sure what's going to happen in the future."

 

Cooper does know that it can devastate a fishery. There was already a die-off of thousands of muskellunge in the St. Lawrence River, which was a popular sport fishery.

 

Leworthy said he knows what will happen in the future and that's that the virus will spread into land locked lakes until the spread of bait by anglers is controlled.

 

"It's not going to get any better. It's only going to get worse," he said.

 

The Great Lakes strain of the VHS virus affects or is carried by baitfish such as Emerald shiners, which is the main bait fish of Lake Simcoe, plus bluntnose minnows and spottail shiners.

 

Some of the other species affected include the invasive round goby, the gizzard shad and freshwater drum.

 

Game fish affected include walleye, yellow perch, muskellunge, smallmouth bass, rock bass, Chinook salmon, black crappie and white bass.

 

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[Skipper D]

I read it , i get it , and i don't understand it , but i do . Is it all going to add up to one day soon banning fishing all together till it cures it self . Is'nt that how they fixed all the fishing problems on the east coast . Watch out .

[Rod Caster]

I read it , i get it , and i don't understand it , but i do . Is it all going to add up to one day soon banning fishing all together till it cures it self . Is'nt that how they fixed all the fishing problems on the east coast . Watch out .

 

Don't worry chicken little... at worst this will lead to a live bait ban accross the province. It honestly seems like the MNR is taking the guttless route and trying to wipe out the live bait industry. Bait dealers will get fed up with new rules, quit farming/trapping and the live bait industry collapses on it's own... then the Gov isnt' directly culpable for taking away jobs from people.

 

I dont' mind using frozen minnows, but I feel bad for the suppliers/bait dealers... what a mess.... they have very little colaborative power.

[Skipper D]

Don't worry chicken little... at worst this will lead to a live bait ban accross the province. It honestly seems like the MNR is taking the guttless route and trying to wipe out the live bait industry. Bait dealers will get fed up with new rules, quit farming/trapping and the live bait industry collapses on it's own... then the Gov isnt' directly culpable for taking away jobs from people.

 

I dont' mind using frozen minnows, but I feel bad for the suppliers/bait dealers... what a mess.... they have very little colaborative power.

Lets all hope chicken littles eye sight does'nt ever checks out to be 20/20