(Host) Emergency regulations on baitfish that were designed to stop the spread of a deadly fish disease will be replaced today with permanent rules.
And there are some significant changes. Wildlife Biologist Shawn Good says after a series of public hearings, the Fish and Wildlife Board changed the focus of the regulation.
(Good) "The new rule, the way it’s designed, it kind of puts the enforceability on, preventing the transportation of fish between water bodies, because that’s really what the risk boils down to when spreading this disease."
(Host) The state is trying to stem the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS. The disease hasn’t been found in Vermont, but it’s killed thousands of fish in the Great Lakes.
Under the permanent rule, anglers will be able to catch and use wild bait such as minnows, as long as they don’t move the bait to another lake.
When purchasing bait fish from a shop, anglers will still have to get a receipt saying where the fish was purchased and where it will be used. But they won’t be required to destroy the fish after two days.
Bait dealers who choose to limit their business to a specific water body, will once again be able to sell wild bait fish caught in that lake or river. In the previous rule, only bait shops on Lake Champlain could sell wild bait. And the rules allow Vermont fishermen to buy bait in New York or New Hampshire to be used on certain border waters.
Shawn Good says while VHS hasn’t been found in the state, the threat is still very real, and studies continue.
(Good) “We’re planning on collecting 5,000 individual fish from 30 water bodies, including Lake Champlain, and all of those fish will be tested for VHS. So this is a significant increase from the 800 fish we tested in 2007."
(Host) The bulk of the collection will happen this spring, but results won’t be known until later this year.