Ice anglers adjusting to VHS rules
Strategies to comply but still fish with minnows and dead bait
MADISON – Buy only the minnows you need to fish that day or leave the bulk of them in a container in your vehicle in the parking lot or another location away from the water, bank or shore and return to the vehicle to resupply if the fishing action heats up.
These are some of the strategies that Wisconsin ice anglers are using this winter to comply with new emergency rules aimed at preventing the spread of a new fish disease, viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS for short
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/pages/vhs.html , according to Conservation Warden Tom Van Haren, policy officer for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
“People are starting to figure out ways to deal with the new rules,” he says. “Their minds are starting to click: if I can’t do what I have always done in the past, what can I do?
“Some of these strategies can save a few trips back to the bait store when the fish are biting good, and not require you to drain the water from all the minnows you purchased when the fishing is slow.”
VHS spreads fish to fish, or when infected fish or infected water are transported by people to a new water, so the emergency rules prohibit anglers from taking away water or live fish, including bait fish, from the shore or bank of any lake or river in Wisconsin.
The emergency rules also limit the use of dead fish as bait, which can harbor the VHS virus. Dead fish can be used as bait only on the water it originated from, or on Lake Michigan or Green Bay, (waters where VHS has already been found) or if the bait was preserved by means that do not require refrigeration or freezing.
Here are other strategies for fishing with minnows or other bait fish that comply with the rules:
• Waterfront property owners or those staying at accommodations with shoreline frontage can keep their minnows in a bait container attached to a dock or boat on that waterbody, with their name and address clearly marked on the container when left unattended. As long as the minnows are not being transported away from the water, bank or shore they may be kept live for later use on that waterbody. This option will not always be available in winter when the waters are covered with ice.
• Ice anglers can submerge a bait container under the ice of a permanent ice shanty and can then use those minnows at a later date on that waterbody. Remember, however, that ice fishing holes can be no more than 12 inches in diameter or square.
• Anglers who don’t use the previous strategies and who have leftover minnows must drain all water out of all containers, including those holding their minnows, before they leave the bank or shore and may not attempt to revive the fish later. If there is a trash can at the boat landing or access point, they may be able to dispose of the minnows there. Otherwise, they can take the minnows home and dispose of them in the trash or compost them or use them in a garden. Another option: water-free, dead minnows can be taken home and treated for 11 days with Borax and/or salted for that duration and then used at a later date. Michigan Department of Natural Resources tests have shown that the 11-day treatment regiment is sufficient to kill the VHS virus in dead fish.
• Anglers can still trap their own minnows for use as bait, but may not transport any such live minnows away from the water where caught. All minnow traps must bear the owner’s name and address and must be checked and the contents removed at least once every 48 hours. The possession limit for minnows is 600 unless you are a licensed bait dealer.
• Bait dealers can apply for a wild bait harvesters permit, which allows them to transport live minnows away from a water body. However, anglers tempted by this option should understand that they will need to file paperwork describing exactly where and when they will be harvesting to get the permit, keep records of where the bait ends up, and have a qualified veterinarian perform a health inspection of the minnows before any of them can be used. No minnows possessed by fishing with hook and line equipment may be transported away from the water where used live.
A brochure that answers more of the questions anglers have asked about the new rules is now available online.
http://dnr.wi.gov/fish/documents/vhs_baitanglers1107legal.pdf.
VHS is not a threat to people or pets but it’s a significant health fish health disease and can cause fish to bleed to death. VHS has demonstrated in other countries and Great Lakes states the potential to cause large fish kills, long-term reductions in wild fish populations, and severe economic impacts.
VHS was first detected in Wisconsin in fish from the Lake Winnebago System in early May. Since that time, the fish disease has not been detected beyond the Lake Winnebago and Lake Michigan systems.
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Tom Van Haren (608) 266-3244
