First off let’s look at how…

First off let’s look at how invasive species and virus have come to Ontario. We know invasive species came through the shipping lines and no one has held the shipping lines accountable. The Ontario government should be going after the Federal government to fine the shipping lines. Moneys from these fines should be funnelled back to the bait industry for compensation for the hardships they have endured over the years. As for the VHS virus it’s been debated whether the virus is a new arrival or has been here since the arrival of white man. Throughout history since the 1800 die off have been reported in different lakes in Ontario, the only difference is today there is instruments that can test for such virus. Do we really know what killed them, were they weak from some other disease and became susceptible to VHS just like humans that have a weak immune system get leukaemia? I don’t believe VHS is as dangerous as first led to believe. If The MNR is serious about protecting Ontario why don’t we draw a lime about one or two Kilometers from the great lakes and shut down all harvesting and compensate the harvesters. That way you don’t have to worry about the conduit of introduction of invasive species and viruses. The shipping lines should be held accountable for their irresponsible business practices.
If you allow this proposal to go through you will devastate the industry because many harvesters will not be able to move bait over boundaries to their customers. In the white zone (16, 17, 18) you will have too many harvester and not enough dealers. With the anglers not allowed to move bait to their cottage means they can’t buy off of the southern dealer so the effect will be harvesters and dealer going out of business. In zone 15 just the opposite too many dealers and not enough harvesters because the area doesn’t produce enough minnows year round. If the dealers don’t have minnows there is no reason for the angler to visit the store, they will go to Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, Etc. So again dealers going out of business. We have a similar situation in the north. Harvesters cannot supply enough minnows year round. The Harvester will make big money well they have minnows but could care less about the dealer the rest of the year. If you go back in history you will see this is exactly what happened to the leech. The MNR job is not to control the marketing of the minnow.
The pilot project for testing the Lake Simcoe shiner has been very successful and should continue. Without this program the ice fishing season and perch derbies will all but disappear. Let alone the economy will suffer that rely on ice fishing and tournaments. The lakes in the north do not produce shiners and when freeze up comes you cannot harvest river bait. So the winter months will have no bait which means no fisherman. Without that the restaurants, motels, hotels, bait stores and so one will be hurt. People have to understand the benefits out way the risk.
If you look at the MNR numbers on how many anglers catch their own fish and go fishing each year the numbers speak for themselves. On who poses the biggest risk for moving invasive species? Anglers are not trained in HACCP like the harvester and dealer so they have no idea what they are catching and moving.
The MNR seems intent on getting rid of the bait industry a little at a time they have slowly eliminated on product after another crawfish, leeches, frogs, and now minnows. They do this by hiding behind the act. If it conservation issue they don’t have to compensate.
The conservative party and Doug Ford say Ontario is open for business you can’t let the MNR destroy yet another industry and put a bigger burden on the province.
The biggest problem is the MNR doesn’t have enough money in their budget to do their job so the answer is to look for ways to meet budget. If they can lessen the burden of managing the bait industry because they don’t have enough money so that is what they will do. It doesn’t matter what effect it will have on the industry as long as the MNR meets their budget for man hours. I find that pretty sad. In the past the MNR has put things in place i.e.: Lake Simcoe boundary and come back and say it didn’t need to be. In the mean time the industry suffers for their mistake. The game the MNR is playing is effecting the industry future many of the people in the industry don’t have a pension their business is their pension. With each decision the MNR makes lessens the value of their business. In the mean time the people making this decision will get their pensions when they retire.
The government has to put a stop to this proposal and direct the MNR to sit down with the industry and come to an agreeable decision that everybody can be happy with.

Thank You Jim Leworthy Ontario Live Bait Angling Association (OLBAA)