New bait rules coming 2022

[Walter Fishonn]

Ontario.ca/baitfish​

Can only catch/harvest in your home zone. Have to purchase outside of home zone. Says to keep a receipt when out of home zone when purchasing and be able to provide to a CO. Can't say I ever have received a receipt for minnows, specifically in the north of our province.

 

[rastam4n]

Well how is that going to work for the Great Lakes. Eg. Zone 13. It’s all water! You cannot live in zone 13. I live right by the lake and even then I live in zone 16… does anyone in the MNR have a brain?

 

[Canadadude]

Well how is that going to work for the Great Lakes. Eg. Zone 13. It’s all water! You cannot live in zone 13. I live right by the lake and even then I live in zone 16… does anyone in the MNR have a brain?

The Province will be divided into 4 bait zones, it is not your FMZ zone that decides bait rules but rather which of the 4 bait zones you reside in. I think bait dealers will be instructed to provide receipts to customers stating in 2022

 

[G.Mech]

Well how is that going to work for the Great Lakes. Eg. Zone 13. It’s all water! You cannot live in zone 13. I live right by the lake and even then I live in zone 16… does anyone in the MNR have a brain?

If you take a bit of time to read the new rules, it's actually pretty clear...

 

[mooner]

Anglers, hunters and trappers,​ Thank you for your continued support of the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry's (NDMNRF) Ontario Fish and Wildlife News, your peek at how your licence dollars support Ontario's fish and wildlife management. You are receiving this newsletter because you are a current or recent Outdoors Card holder. Ontario is rolling out new rules related to the use and movement of baitfish and leeches when fishing in the province. This is all part of the province’s plan to prevent the spread of invasive species as well as diseases like viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) that can devastate Ontario’s fish stocks. Starting on January 1st, 2022, Ontario will be divided into four Bait Management Zones (BMZs) —Northwest, Northeast, Central and Southern. Anglers, if you live in the zone where you are fishing, you will be permitted to harvest and use baitfish and leeches in that zone. If you are fishing outside the zone in which you reside, then you will need to purchase and use baitfish and leeches from the BMZ where you are fishing. Baitfish and leeches can only be moved within the BMZ where they were harvested or purchased, with some exceptions, including moving baitfish and leeches into an adjacent Great Lake or a portion of the Ottawa River. Anglers fishing in their home BMZ should be prepared to show government issued identification to demonstrate their place of residence. Anglers using live bait outside of their home BMZ must purchase their baitfish and leeches and can keep them for up to two weeks. They must also keep a legible receipt after you have purchased them to show to a conservation officer. These changes come after years of research, data collection and consultation with anglers in the province. Anglers are also reminded to: Safely dispose contents of your bait container at least 30 metres from any lake, pond, river or stream Dispose of fish waste, heads and tails in the garbage, not waterways, when cleaning fish Put unwanted roe or baitfish in the garbage Empty livewells and bilges away from water, where the water will be absorbed into the ground Inspect and disinfect your gear, if necessary Check ontario.ca/baitfish for updates on BMZs.

 

[Crestliner16]

This was announced last year and had long consultation/comment periods prior to that.

It’s disappointing for me as we only really use bait on trips up north (outside our home zone). Netting/trapping our own minnows is part of the fun on those trips and we don’t transport them far, normally fishing them in the same lake/river system they came from. Zero risk of spreading disease or invasives from that practise, yet these rules will make it illegal.

 

[rastam4n]

Thanks for the clarification. Makes sense now. The original post on its own without the back story is a bit misleading since it’s missing “bait management” zone.