minnow ban -update

[pinche]

Im putting this here cause I saw some interest prior.

From my local baitshop , here is an update on the meeting in washington last week and a plea for help.



Eric,
 
 
 
I did speak with my bait supplier, and he seemed a little evasive with an update.  but basically said, no change.  the list remains at 37 banned species, but did hint around that there could possibly be a ban on harvesting altogether.  but nothing has changed since the initial ban.
 
as for the immediate future, his farm is stocked with plenty of emerald shiners for the upcoming ice fishing season.
 
as for the long term, I think that the voice should be heard a little louder, as you suggested.  I don't think the fish farm industry can make a case without the support of the millions this ban could potentially affect.  this obviously will take time, money, planning, organization, etc...    any volunteers ??
 
but the main goal is not to fight the ban itself, as it was an emergency act to curb the spread of the virus until they can figure out how to stop it.  we are not arguing the fact, that the virus doesn't exist or pose a threat.  our question is, if we've known about the virus being a problem in Europe, and we've known that other non-indigenous plant and animal ( zebra mussels, gobies, etc... ) life have been being brought over here for many years, and we've even known exactly how these things are being introduced into our waterways ( i.e. ballast water from European tankers and freighters ), then why has it come to this ? 
 
this virus is deadly, no doubt.  and it does realistically pose a threat to our natural resources.  it does need to be contained and stopped.  but instead of imposing bans that hurt local economies, we instead, find alternate ways to stabilize ships or ways to recycle the ballast water, or sanitize it before being released into our waterways. 
 
you can follow the progress here http://www.aphis.usda.gov/vs/aqua/

hope this helps
 
ron
hook, line & sinker
248.814.9216
[email protected]


Gosh I feel bad for people trying to make a living in this industry. There up against a giant.Ill be posting this on the main page and probally in the NY thread.

[youngster]

thanks for the update greatly appreciated,

[crayfishbob]

I got a letter from DEC about this, as I possess a licence for bait. Basiclly its everything as reported and they are still considering regulations at this time, but no final decisions have been made. They gave me this link for up to the minute updates and I thought i'd pass it along incase somebody else has not.




http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dfwmr/fish/vhsv.html

[ChenBassHead]

Okay, so here's my question...This may have been asked in another thread, and I just missed it...

Can VHS be transmitted to humans via consumption? 

Oh yeah, one more....Being that this was found in Conesus Lake, will this effect the Ice Party that's scheduled to take place there?  I just thought I'd bring this up so that if need be, proper action could take place. 

-Zach

[pokerman]

Okay, so here's my question...This may have been asked in another thread, and I just missed it...

Can VHS be transmitted to humans via consumption? 

-Zach

I got VHS when I was in college at Brockport.  My buddies warned me to stay away from her, but she was so hot . . .

pokerman

[crayfishbob]

This is straight from the nys dec publication that I got in the mail : "it does not pose any threat to human health"

I'm not sure what the plan changes would be, but I would think it likely.


And is that how you got your nickname, pokerman ?

[pinche]

Can VHS be transmitted to humans via consumption? 

 

-Zach

As far as they no it poses no threat to humans

[1TIGGER]

This shouldn't change any get together plans because it poses no danger to people but I'm not sure .
I guess we'll have to wait and see .
I would think It will go as planed because I think some people have already booked rooms and made vacation plans .

[ChenBassHead]

Well I'm just thinking as far as bait use goes...I wasn't sure if they were going to impose any sort of bait ban or not.  I guess it doesn't really matter, seeing as it's already there. 

[1TIGGER]

From what I have been hearing there shouldn't be any problems with live bait this season .
It's next season that sounds like there could be some troubles .

[MXFISHER656]

Can VHS be transmitted to humans via consumption? 

I chowed down this Conesus lake beauty last week and I'm still kickin'

[ChenBassHead]

I chowed down this Conesus lake beauty last week and I'm still kickin'

(Image removed from quote.)

Yeah, but is the kicking voluntary?

[MXFISHER656]

Yeah, but is the kicking voluntary?

Most of the time 

[tucker]

So far research says VHS can not be transmitted to humans, just like cwd.  The problem is that it might seriousy impact the fishery for a time period.

[mistertwister]

I couldn't find a minnow after looking at 3 normally reliable bait shops yesterday but that's because it's that "tweener" period when nobody's buying bait now and nobody's icefishing yet!  Sucks though because this time of year when it comes to walleyes you sometimes NEED minnows or you don't catch fish.    

I just hope that kind of thing doesn't happen this winter...where it will be tough to find minnows

[pinche]

No it's just a seasonal thing because nobody's fishing right now and the shops would be lucky to sell two dozen minnows a week.  Very slow time of year for bait guys and there's no point in sitting on inventory that you can't sell. 

From the people Ive talked to slip is right this year we should be ok with minnows....and they'll figure it out by next year.

[Ray4852]

If the minnows are infected with vhs now, why are they waiting till next year to start the ban? If you’re going to ban minnows you should start the ban now. If everybody used defective minnows this winter we will have the vhs all over the place by spring. This whole thing doesn’t make sense to me.

[youngster]

im with you ray,, i guess i just dont understand...  all the talk of lake erie  well lets hope they get it figured out

[Ray4852]

If Lake Erie is infected with vhs, they shouldn’t be selling minnows from that lake at all. If guys buy minnows from the buffalo bait shops and bring them out to our inland lakes we will have the vhs here too. There something fisheye going on here and they don’t want to tell us the truth. The big bait dealers are worrying about there profits and the politicians are sleeping in the same bed with the special interest and nobody has any balls to stand up and do what they think is right.

[crayfishbob]

I agree. All states involved with this, especially New york should ban taking of fish bait from both lake ontario and erie, plus the St. Lawarance. This should be immediate. The problem is beyond the fish and minnows I feel, as how did Conesus get infected ? I would think it would be from bilge water, not baitfish, as the virus was detected last summer. Typically lake run bait is caught in the fall, making it illogical that it was from bait in that case. I'm not stating that baitfish would not spread the disease, but am confidant it can spread by other means. These "other means" could possibly be inevitable and I would hate to see the outcome.

On the upside :
Many factors could have attributed to the disease NOT spreading as far as it did, as the Erie canal was closed for part of the season, gas prices reduced boating and the abnormal rain could have flushed away most of the disease. I think that understanding how the disease spreads has to be addressed and people be made aware. Admittantly, I am one of those that does not totally understand it, but I will go through great lengths to learn.

My best friend has a camp near point penninsula on eastern Lake Ontario. He was one of the few people that actually called the DEC and whitnessed it. He saw numerous Gobies, sheephead and Sturgeon.The DEC came and picked up several of those fish.

I also know that its not only the bait dealers in peril with this. I just recently learned of a fish farmer that cannot sell his crop of aquacultural raised northern pike in Minnesota that has to "sit" on his crop until this is over. Inevatably, it is predicted he will lose all or most of his crop due to starvation over the winter.

Thank you Iceshanty.com for being here so there is a place us fishermen can discuss issues like this.

[youngster]

the aquaculture guys can probably still sell fish to restaurants outta state as long as fish are frozen. i dont know. so all cant be lost. but im assuming most of there business must be live sales for stocking purposes etc. either way it would be real tough to just wake up and have someone say you cant do businesss. especially with the money they got tied up. yup still confused.  last year it was the MAD DEER DIESEASE, chronic wasting. they lost on license sales last year . this year we dont hear much about that. and they always tell us it doesnt affect humans. dont know how they know ,have they really done a lengthy study. altough some of the guys i fish with act like they could be effected by something!!!! bwahahaha..lets hope for the best and some ICEEEEEEEEE

[iceenut]

No it's just a seasonal thing because nobody's fishing right now and the shops would be lucky to sell two dozen minnows a week.  Very slow time of year for bait guys and there's no point in sitting on inventory that you can't sell. 

Just read the article in the New York outdoor news and it doesn't look good for for the bait shops this winter,or for us ice fisherman for that matter...icicles,emeralds any thing that is netted ot of Ontario/Erie are banned to suppliers.They are saying bait is gonna be hard to get and very exspensive too.

[jflood]

I am confused. Admittedly I haven't completely read all the information on this.

Will we be able to use any minnows this year I have used icicle/emeralds shiners in the past to fish for bows  and perch and it sounds like those are definitely out but what about the other types of minnows???  On a related note what other types of small minnows would work for rainbows?

[iceenut]

I am confused. Admittedly I haven't completely read all the information on this.

Will we be able to use any minnows this year I have used icicle/emeralds shiners in the past to fish for bows  and perch and it sounds like those are definitely out but what about the other types of minnows???  On a related note what other types of small minnows would work for rainbows?

Bait that comes from Arkansas is still available to suppliers for the northeast,but this is gonna put a huge strain on the supply because the demand will be extremely high.The only hope for icicles or hunts minnows  is that they can be netted from Champlain,but with such short notice and impending ice who knows?sounds like what ever we can get are hands on we'll have to make work .

[crayfishbob]

I believe there will not be a problem with bait supplies within new york state at least this year and as of writing this. The reason the bait dealers would be hurting  right now is they cannot sell minnows across state lines. So far the FEDERAL law is written to restrict interstae transport. If minnows are cought within the state, they can be sold within the state. That's why I feel there will be a overabundance of bait WITHIN New york state. I can only stress that the DEC should step in and ban the taking of baitfish from infected waters. Then AFTER that takes effect, then there will be problems aquiring bait. Well worth the inconvience in the long run, I would say.

Its the bilge water, I'm worried about from some of those boats that cruise the canals spewing it here and there. How on earth can anyone control that ?  Its like public awareness beyond the fishing community has to be made aware of the situation. I'd hate to lose our fishing as we know it to some unknowing boater that diddn't even know about the VHS virus in the first place.

I live near the state hatchery in Constantia, and I'll go see what I can get out of those guys if not tomorrow after hunting, I'll talk to them monday.

[Ray4852]

Right now if you fish Oneida Lake and fish that lake with minnows from that lake, I would think you’re safe if you fish with them in that lake only. What would happen if somebody came out from buffalo with minnows that he bought from the buffalo bait shop and fished Oneida Lake with those minnows? We all know what he’s going to do with the minnows that he don’t use. They go down into the hole and the vhs is in this lake too. You guys are more concerned about buying minnows when we have other ways to fish. I’m more concerned about our lakes and the fishery. Don’t forget Lake Erie is connected to the Niagara River that dumps into Lake Ontario and its connected to the Oneida Lake system and into the Erie Canal and into Cayuga and Seneca Lake. Let’s be a little more concerned about our fishery. forget about the minnows to we come up with a way to solve this problem

[iceenut]

They'll be plenty of bait, I'm not worried at all.  The Wiggly Worm will be getting the motherload of minnows real soon  

        Did you read the article on the front page of the New York Outdoor News...I guess we will have to wait and see,believe me,I don't want to have a problem getting bait either,but what I'm reading in these articles doesn't sound good...and hopefully Bill and Gary can deliver the goods...Wiggly Worm RULES!!

[skunkedbywalleye]

When does this chaos stop???  Not to get weird on all ya! But..I love fishing and to know I might have contributed to helping to spreading a disease??? This sucks

[crayfishbob]

I just got off the phone with the fishery dept at region 7. As of right now the dept. is in the "discussion" part of what is going to transpire and they stressed there will be some sort of restrictions, but exactly what, they don't know yet.
A example of what might happen he gave me is that use of bait in a particular watershed should only be used in that watershed.

I also had my imput. I confirmed to them the fact that minnows taken from the Niagra river has been used in Oneida lake already this fall. I know this to be true, as I know the persons involved. This of course occured before any restrictions came out or anyone was told about the virus being a spreadable by this means.

He also told me that the water used in the western part of the barge canal system is fed by the niagra river.

That connects everything from lake erie through new york city to lake champlain.

Lets hope this thing just goes away on its own, because it seems impossible to stop it, just like the zebra mussles.

[adkRoy]

Thank god all them foreign ships dump their bilge water into the great lakes.