Bait issue.

[pikeking]

I was talking to a friend and he told me that in New York They can't trap their own bait they have to have a recipt from the store it came from and what kind of bait it is. I think New York Fish and Game are going way to far with this.What do you think?

[slammer6500]

All in part of preventing Invasive Species,...I would imagine......

[Master Angler]

Yep that would be why.  Here in MB when you buy live minnows you get a stamped card which is good for I think 3 days.   We can trap our own minnows/bait fish we just can't transfer live bait after being caught, they have to be dead.  However we can catch live bait and use it if we use it on the lake where we caught the bait.  I just catch and freeze a bunch every fall.

[J.]

VHS ( http://www.lsc.usgs.gov/fhb/leaflets/83.asp ) is the cause of the restrictions and the fact that bait from the Lakes was being sold into other states.  In fact, Vermont just placed the entire state under and emergency rule.  See for details: http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/library/factsheets/Fisheries/Fish_health/Viral%20Hemorrhagic%20Septicemia%20Virus/Summary%20of%20Emergency%20Rules.pdf

This moves the issue one state closer to Maine.  Will those type of rules end up in Maine?  I hope not, but it would not surprise me!

VHS is a serious disease and we need to protect our Maine fish species from exposure.  Maine is unique in this situation because we have had a ban on any fish being transported into Maine.  This ban has been in effect for almost 40 years.  Maine's ban was tested in 1981 by Maine vs Taylor and upheld.  See:
( http://waterprogram.tamu.edu/renr662/cases/Maine_klinge.doc )
Since Maine sources provide all of the needed live bait within its boarders, we may be able to fore-go a ban on fishermen collecting their own bait, as done in Vermont and other states.