The State of Vermont instituted new baitfish regulations in April 2008 to prevent the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) to Vermont. Ice fisherman should be aware of these regulations.
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia is a nasty viral disease that has caused mass death in fish populations across Europe and in the Pacific Northwest. (In the early 1990s, an outbreak of VHS at a Danish trout farm resulted in about $60 million in losses.) In 2005, the virus was discovered in Lake Ontario. It quickly spread throughout the Great Lakes and adjacent St. Lawrence waterways; it also jumped to inland waters in Wisconsin, Michigan and New York.
While VHS presents no risk to humans (it cannot replicate in warm-blooded animals), it is devastating to fish. Already tens of thousands of fish have died in the outbreak zones. Fish who have contracted the disease will often exhibit pin-sized red sores across their bodies. Internally, their organs sprout hemorrhages. Sick fish can be observed swimming in circles, or lying motionless just below the surface of the water.
Scientists don’t know for sure how the disease arrived in the Great Lakes, although most guess that it was carried in on ballast water in European freighters. The disease was almost certainly spread inland by baitfish and the related contaminated water in bait buckets. Since there’s no cure to the disease, you can see why the fish and wildlife department is taking severe steps in attempts to stop its spread to Vermont’s waterways.
So here’s the ice-fishing nitty-gritty for those of you who are out of the loop:
You can’t save and re-use baitfish anymore. You can harvest approved baitfish species and use them, but they have to come from the same waterbody where they were captured. If you buy baitfish, they have to come from a certified bait dealer. When you buy the bait, you’ll tell the dealer what body of water you’re fishing on. You have to keep the receipt with you at all times, and you’ll have to use the bait within 96 hours.
For more details, visit www.vtfishandwildlife.com. And good luck this winter out on the ice.