States See Renewed Push to Restrict Live Bait Sales

In 2023, a world animal rights group working beneath the identify Upstream Policies started pushing state-level laws and regulatory modifications aimed toward limiting or eliminating the interstate sale and use of stay bait in U.S. waters. Since then, payments or formal proposals tied to that effort have surfaced in Colorado, Delaware, New Hampshire, and New York, based on the American Sportfishing Association.

These efforts have drawn robust opposition from the leisure fishing group and the companies that assist it. Business teams argue that the proposals aren’t rooted in new science and overlook present state and federal safeguards already designed to stop the unfold of invasive species and aquatic ailments.

Most states already regulate stay bait by way of species restrictions, licensing necessities for bait sellers, and testing and certification requirements developed in partnership with the aquaculture trade. Wildlife companies additionally conduct public outreach campaigns encouraging anglers to correctly deal with and eliminate unused bait, decreasing environmental danger with out eliminating entry.

Reside bait stays one of the crucial broadly used instruments in leisure fishing. Roughly 67 p.c of anglers fish with stay bait annually, accounting for an estimated $345 million in annual spending nationwide. For a lot of first-time anglers, stay bait gives essentially the most dependable approach to catch fish and construct long-term curiosity within the sport.

Sure fisheries rely closely on stay bait, significantly ice fishing, the place minnows and shiners are sometimes important for achievement. Limiting interstate gross sales would disproportionately have an effect on northern states and small bait sellers that depend on seasonal demand.

“The significance of stay bait in sportfishing can’t be understated,” mentioned Connor Bevan, ASA’s Inland Fisheries Coverage Director. He famous that broad restrictions would impression anglers and companies regardless of the presence of science-based administration programs already in place.

To this point, not one of the proposed restrictions have superior into legislation. A number of efforts have stalled in committee or failed to realize legislative assist after financial impacts and enforcement challenges have been raised. With no profitable bans and rising resistance from anglers and state companies, trade observers say the marketing campaign to limit stay bait seems unlikely to realize traction within the close to future.

Keith Lusher

Keith Lusher is an award-winning out of doors journalist who resides in Covington, Louisiana. He owns and operates NorthshoreFishingReport.com and writes a weekly out of doors column for the Slidell Impartial Newspaper. He additionally writes for the St.Tammany Parish Tourism Fee’s VisitTheNorthshore.com. He’s the previous host of The Northshore Fishing Report Radio Present and is on the board of the Louisiana Out of doors Writers Affiliation. Keith contributes to quite a few publications each on-line and in print and prides himself on selling South Louisiana’s distinctive fishery. To contact Keith electronic mail: keithlusherjr@gmail.com