Your Bait Management Policy…

Your Bait Management Policy is way too restrictive and is absolutely unnecessary.

- Leeches should not be included or regulated as baitfish. They should be viewed in the same way worms are. There's no reason why I shouldn't use them where I please and keep them in my possession for more than two weeks. Quebec doesn't consider leeches to be classed as baitfish. Neither should Ontario. North or South.

- Prohibiting use in Provincial Parks is too limiting. Nearly every waterway in Ontario is a park now! This would add pressure to other water bodies that don't fall under a park boundary. Again, this is too restrictive.

- I want to be able to trap my own minnows and leeches, like I do now. I shouldn't have to carry a fish identification book to trap minnows. Especially in Northern Ontario. I shouldn't be viewed as a criminal for having a 30mm Stickleback in my bait bucket.

- This will drive up the cost of commercial bait. Gas, licenses, $2.26 service fee on everything... enough is enough! Now bait retailers will have to provide a receipt? They'll also have to cover higher cost from wholesale bait dealers who transport. Drive the cost up higher, baitshops close, fishermen become criminals trying to pursue their favourite pastime. People give it up, Province loses revenue, taxes increase... more Liberal "service fees"

Why the Zones?? What's the benefit other than catching people along borders? Looks like the A/D border is Highway 560... what if the only baitshop is on the north side of the highway? Can't fish across the street?? If there has to be zones, (which I don't believe is necessary) this province should have two zones and two zones ONLY. North and South. If I leave Sudbury for Shining Tree I shouldn't have to drive an extra hour out of the way to Gogama to get bait so I can fish the north side of the 560 highway. Draw the line at the French River.

- What scientific proof is there that natural Brook Trout lakes are being damaged by invasive baitfish? For example; I've icefished with emerald shiners all my life and they don't exist in our northern waters.

- "Bait used only in waters where harvested" Again, too restrictive. Waterways change names while you travel, sometimes in short distances. (Simcoe/Couchiching for example. And the Montreal River in the Elk Lake area.. everywhere the river widens, it's given a new lake name. Fisherman have no choice but to access lakes by crossing other lakes. It happens province wide. Trap bait in a lake and troll around the corner and the lake changes names. It's the same in the winter where access by snowmobile is easy and harvesting bait isn't.

- "you will be required to produce some sort of proof of the origin of the bait for enforcement purposes (form of proof to be determined)" Sounds a lot like "guilty until proven innocent" to me. This policy is being proposed without being completely and thoroughly thought out.

- "Can only keep bait for two weeks" Excuse me but if this garbage policy is going to drive up the cost of bait and I can keep my leeches alive and happy throughout the summer, what sense does this make? Is the intent to have the receipts expire so I don't carry bait all season with a 4 month old receipt? Am I being accused of scheming to buy bait once, carry the receipt all summer and pass my personally harvested bait as a retail purchase? Again, guilty until proven innocent. Why else would there be a two week limitation? Ludicrous.

- Liberals are raising user fees for parks, camping and other activities, bait costs will rise, shops will close... this proposed policy is so crippling that it will have a massive negative impact on our already wounded economy.

[Original Comment ID: 209094]