Spiny Fleas In LOTW?

[2dog]

In today's Grand Forks Herald there are a couple of articles written by Brad Dokken about the spiny fleas in LOW. Brad also interviewed Steve from Log Cabin Bait about what is going to happen to the trapping of Shiners. If you go to the grandforksherald and to the outdoors section you will find the article about the trapping of shiners. The other article is on the front page of the web site called a small nusiance.

[Boar]

Am I missing some info here? My understanding is that what this boils down to is a guy like Doug cant go down to his dock scoop up a shinner, put it on the hook an toss it back in the water? Or the sale of bait from infested waters to a guy like me that buys the bait from doug then put it on his hook an tosses it back in the same water? Do shinners from infested waters mutate when placed on a jig an tossed back in the same infested waters? What about a guy that fishes stugeon with heavy dacron an as these SWF cling {which I've heard they can do} to the line or a bait bucket rope, or anchor rope, an then travel down to Red Lake an fish? I know that boating laws are in place to try an stop the spread of certain aquatic species from one body of water to another by paying attention to boat an trailer for clingon's, but to stop the harvest of a local species of bait that is purchased on it's home waters to be used in it's home waters the very same day or next day, dose the DNR think that a person like myself will travel up to Rainy River buy some shinners from Doug an turn around an go fish the Minnesota River? Am I off base here? Please educate me cause I dont' like to go off like this with out being properly informed. I make myself look stupid enough the way it is. So the DNR thinks that a bait harvest ban is going to help stop the spread of an aquatic species that will find it's way into other water ways naturaly, birds being the quickest, tributaries being another an so on.... Sorry if I'm not fully informed on this subject, but from what I gather a ban on a bait species from infested waters of SWF thats main purpose is to be used on the same waters the bait came from is ludicris.. ludichris... STUPID!! I know that some people save their bait an take it home, freeze it, keep it alive till the next time they go fishing, which might not be on the same body of water they purchased it, deny that practice, hard to inforce but what is'nt. Sorry to ramble. Anyway my brain hurts... Later Boar

[Royal Dutchman]

2dog,

Thanks for the heads up on the GFH arcticle!

Very interesting quote from Mr. Montz of the DNR to the effect that there is no confirmation of SWF in the RR or LOW. I was told by the Baudette DNR last week that they were confirmed but the week before they weren't but now they are again. Bet Montz gets a call first thing Monday morning, huh.

Seems to me they're getting the cart ahead of the horse enacting a bait ban before SWF have even been confirmed here.

They want to ban local bait by open water. I'm no aquatic invertibrate biologist but how are they going to come up with SWF to confirm infestation by March?

Got to agree with Steve from LCB. There are ways of significantly reducing the insignificant threat from local bait.

[lakowoods]

thanks Doug now start the emailing people, tell them how responsible we have to be to keep havesting the shiners. and help contain the SWF

[Scott K]

this is out of a twin cities news web sita Feb 12, 2007 6:20 am US/Central

DNR Worried About Spiny Water Fleas In NW Minn.

(AP) International Falls, Minn. Biologists are concerned that spiny water fleas found in Rainy and Namakan lakes could mean significant changes for the Lake of the Woods ecosystem and the bait industry in northwestern Minnesota.

Gary Montz, aquatic invertebrate biologist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, said spiny water fleas, an invasive species, were detected in the lakes -- part of the Rainy River watershed -- last summer.

Since spiny water fleas rely on the current for transportation and can't swim upstream, it's probably just a matter of time before they wash down the Rainy River into Lake of the Woods.

"It's very likely that if they're not already in Lake of the Woods, that they'll be there shortly," Montz said.

Spiny water fleas interrupt the food chain by eating native zooplankton that young fish rely on for food. They also ball up on fishing line and other gear, causing headaches for anglers.

Native to Europe and Asia, spiny water fleas first were detected in the Great Lakes in the 1980s after hitching a ride in the ballast water of ships. Named for their spiny tails, spiny water fleas measure one-fourth to five-eighths inch in length.

The DNR says they now inhabit about a dozen Minnesota waters, including Lake Saganaga, another border water.

While adult fleas are fragile and will die out of water, Montz said the eggs resist drying, freezing and extreme temperatures. They even pass through the digestive tracts of fish and birds without harm.

"It's a very effective dispersal mechanism," he said.

Spiny water fleas and their eggs also can spread to other waters on boats, bait buckets or fishing gear.

Montz says it's too soon to say what impact spiny water fleas will have on the ecosystem of Lake of the Woods and the other infested lakes.

"It's really hard to predict," he said. "Real tiny fish won't eat them because they have those spines coming off their tail barb. It's a problem with little fish, but bigger fish will feed on them heavily. They may end up being just part of the ecosystem up there."

There's no way to eradicate them, he says.

"You look at the size of Rainy and Lake of the Woods and the interconnected lakes," Montz said. "There is no control for that. It's out there in the system, and it's going to be there unless the natural system decides it shouldn't."

But Jay Rendall, Invasive Species Program coordinator for DNR Ecological Services, said the agency is readying a "multi-pronged" response to the spiny water flea outbreak on the border lakes. The effort will focus on the area from Lake of the Woods and east to Rainy and Namakan, Rendall says, and also Upper Red Lake. It will include an educational campaign and stepped-up inspection of watercraft on the infested waters.

Rendall said the goal is to prevent the spread of spiny water fleas into non-infested waters.

"We want to make sure that people are aware of the issue and not moving them to Red," Rendall said. "A lot of people go to fish both Lake of the Woods and Red."

Education efforts will include billboards, signs at boat landings and local media spots, he said.

The DNR now is going through the state's formal rule-making process to designate lakes in the Rainy River basin as "infested waters," Rendall said. Those rules, which will apply to the infested lakes and all connected waters, are being finalized and will take effect within a month or two, he said.

That will impact the area's bait industry, as state statute prohibits taking bait from infested waters. Millions of native emerald shiners, a popular bait choice, are trapped from the Rainy River each fall.

Rendall said the DNR has notified bait dealers in the area that a ban on trapping bait from the infested waters is imminent. Such a ban would go into place when the emergency rules take effect, he said.

"We'll be talking to see if there might be some solution, but currently, it looks like there'll be a ban," he said.

[buoyblu]

I have been fishing Lake of the Woods(Rainy River)for over 46 years.I can not belive that we are going to stop the trapping of shiners in the river.If DNR wants to control this problem why don't we make everybody change there fishing lines,anchor ropes and other gear? Lets trap all the birds and make sure there digestive tracts are cleaned out before they fly south to Red Lake! We do not want any of those eggs passing through there digestive tracts infesting any other body of water. Or DNR could put trust it

to the fisherman and bait dealers and allow shiners to be used on that body of water only. I don,t think many fisherman buy live bait on the Rainy and fish Red Lake. New laws can reflect bait to be used on that body of water only.Why are we trying to control something that is uncontrolable Spiny water fleas are in the system.Its only a matter of time that they will be found in all water ways if birds can carry there eggs through there digestive tracts without harm. We are not Canadian fisherman we want the FREEDOM of fishing live bait from that body of water that we are fishing from. Why because that bait works best.

I look forward to fishing with a bucket full of shiners on the Rainy and LOW when I fish.