The debate is a familiar one for those who regularly fish the Mississippi River and its tributaries. Prior to recent rule changes, anglers had been able to seine bait fish such as minnows or willow cats from the waterway and use them for bait. According to Wes Domine of Fountain City, in Buffalo County, it's a grand old tradition among "river rats" along the Mississippi to catch their own bait, thus saving money and taking advantage of the resources available to them.
With the emergence of the disease known as Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), harvesting one's own bait is forbidden on Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, the Winnebago system, the Mississippi and all waters connected to these waters up to the first barrier impassable to fish.
"While VHS has not yet been discovered in the Mississippi, its presence elsewhere suggests the disease is spreading," said Mississippi River Fisheries Supervisor Ron Benjamin.
But VHS isn't the only disease or invasive species that has officials worried.
"Even if VHS hadn't appeared, we were in the process of losing the Mississippi to bait harvest anyway," he said. "We've found Asian Carp in the La Crosse area all the way up to the St. Croix."
Benjamin also points out that Minnesota has closed the river to bait harvest making Wisconsin's protocol consistent throughout the watershed.
At the recent DNR/Conservation Congress spring hearings Question 85 read "Would you support the allowed harvest and use of legal bait species from/on the Mississippi River or its tributaries up to the first barrier, for personal angling use only, provided no bait is transported away from the river or those tributaries?"
Domine submitted the proposal as a local resolution at the 2009 spring hearings. It passed through the Conservation Congress gauntlet that includes the Mississippi River Study Committee, the Executive Council and finally the entire Congress delegation at the state convention last year. Hence, the question appeared on the ballot for statewide consideration at this year's hearings. The measure passed statewide, 1,917-925.
Domine argues that since it is legal to bring minnows to the river if purchased from certified bait dealers and then take them to other bodies of water later, the threat of spreading invasives remains.
"Considering that live bait is routinely kept in live wells or given fresh water to maintain survival, the current law stands contrary to minimizing the potential spread of VHS," he maintains.
According to Benjamin, however, there are other compelling reasons for the ban. "Once you allow bait harvest, which also requires traps or nets, the different equipment could be contaminated with exotics," he warns.
Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau Chief Mike Staggs offers further background information.
"The current rules are a compromise that came out after nearly a year of ... negotiations among the Natural Resources Board, Legislature and the public on the best way to deal with VHS in Wisconsin. The original proposed rules were generally simple - anglers were not allowed to take any live fish away from the water and everyone had to drain all the water out of their boating and fishing equipment when leaving the water body.
"Under these rules it would have been OK to seine minnows for personal use on the water that day so long as they weren't taken off the water. However, there was significant backlash from some anglers who wanted to take home unused minnows at the end of the trip for later use - to the level that the Legislature refused to accept the more general rule passed by the NRB.
"The compromise allowed anglers to take home minnows under certain conditions, including that the minnows must have been originally bought at a Wisconsin bait dealer and that either the minnows are not exposed to any water from the water body where the angler is fishing or the minnows would only be used again on the same water body."
According to Staggs, law enforcement officials argued that this provision was unenforceable. As a result, the NRB added an additional restriction on the harvest of any minnows from any VHS-affected waters.
Domine claims anglers are appalled by the current rules. "I've witnessed shock and disbelief when people are first informed of the bait harvest restrictions," he said. "Many river anglers are of the opinion that the current restrictions are neither workable nor fair."
"Prior evaluation did not properly assign risks or containment," he said. "Nor did it take into account the vastness of this ecosystem and the needs and culture of thousands that live, work and play along our mightiest river system."
Domine serves as the secretary of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Mississippi River Committee.
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
With the emergence of the disease known as Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS), harvesting one's own bait is forbidden on Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, the Winnebago system, the Mississippi and all waters connected to these waters up to the first barrier impassable to fish.
"While VHS has not yet been discovered in the Mississippi, its presence elsewhere suggests the disease is spreading," said Mississippi River Fisheries Supervisor Ron Benjamin.
But VHS isn't the only disease or invasive species that has officials worried.
"Even if VHS hadn't appeared, we were in the process of losing the Mississippi to bait harvest anyway," he said. "We've found Asian Carp in the La Crosse area all the way up to the St. Croix."
Benjamin also points out that Minnesota has closed the river to bait harvest making Wisconsin's protocol consistent throughout the watershed.
At the recent DNR/Conservation Congress spring hearings Question 85 read "Would you support the allowed harvest and use of legal bait species from/on the Mississippi River or its tributaries up to the first barrier, for personal angling use only, provided no bait is transported away from the river or those tributaries?"
Domine submitted the proposal as a local resolution at the 2009 spring hearings. It passed through the Conservation Congress gauntlet that includes the Mississippi River Study Committee, the Executive Council and finally the entire Congress delegation at the state convention last year. Hence, the question appeared on the ballot for statewide consideration at this year's hearings. The measure passed statewide, 1,917-925.
Domine argues that since it is legal to bring minnows to the river if purchased from certified bait dealers and then take them to other bodies of water later, the threat of spreading invasives remains.
"Considering that live bait is routinely kept in live wells or given fresh water to maintain survival, the current law stands contrary to minimizing the potential spread of VHS," he maintains.
According to Benjamin, however, there are other compelling reasons for the ban. "Once you allow bait harvest, which also requires traps or nets, the different equipment could be contaminated with exotics," he warns.
Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Bureau Chief Mike Staggs offers further background information.
"The current rules are a compromise that came out after nearly a year of ... negotiations among the Natural Resources Board, Legislature and the public on the best way to deal with VHS in Wisconsin. The original proposed rules were generally simple - anglers were not allowed to take any live fish away from the water and everyone had to drain all the water out of their boating and fishing equipment when leaving the water body.
"Under these rules it would have been OK to seine minnows for personal use on the water that day so long as they weren't taken off the water. However, there was significant backlash from some anglers who wanted to take home unused minnows at the end of the trip for later use - to the level that the Legislature refused to accept the more general rule passed by the NRB.
"The compromise allowed anglers to take home minnows under certain conditions, including that the minnows must have been originally bought at a Wisconsin bait dealer and that either the minnows are not exposed to any water from the water body where the angler is fishing or the minnows would only be used again on the same water body."
According to Staggs, law enforcement officials argued that this provision was unenforceable. As a result, the NRB added an additional restriction on the harvest of any minnows from any VHS-affected waters.
Domine claims anglers are appalled by the current rules. "I've witnessed shock and disbelief when people are first informed of the bait harvest restrictions," he said. "Many river anglers are of the opinion that the current restrictions are neither workable nor fair."
"Prior evaluation did not properly assign risks or containment," he said. "Nor did it take into account the vastness of this ecosystem and the needs and culture of thousands that live, work and play along our mightiest river system."
Domine serves as the secretary of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress Mississippi River Committee.
- Lee Fahrney is the Monroe Times outdoors writer. He can be reached at (608) 967-2208 or at fiveoaks@mhtc.net.
