Ecology of Freshwater Baitfish Use in Canada and the United States

Abstract

The baitfish industry in Canada and the United States is conservatively estimated to be worth US $1 billion annually. In addition to the economic impacts, this industry also has ecological impacts. We review the potential impacts of the use of baitfish on the harvested (donor) ecosystem as well as the ecosystem in which the baitfish are used (recipient). We summarized the current, provincial, territorial, and state baitfish regulations for both countries and compared our results to the findings of a similar study in 1956. Although the number of regulations in both countries has increased, clearly transport and release of baitfish is still poorly controlled. We undertook a more detailed examination of the US $29 million baitfish industry in Ontario. The listing of 15 baitfish species as vulnerable or threatened and the presence of disjunct populations as a result of bait-bucket transfer of 12 species indicates Ontario baitfish regulations/enforcement have not adequately protected donor and recipient ecosystems. We also conducted a survey of baitfish practices for customers of four major baitfish dealers in Toronto, Ontario. We found that almost half of the anglers surveyed released their unused baitfish at their fishing destinations, even though this practice is prohibited by Ontario fishing regulations. We inspected contents of the dealers' holding tanks and plotted the destinations of anglers who bought these baitfish. Eighteen of the 28 species found in the tanks were potentially used outside their known ranges. In light of these findings, we present a number of recommendations to better manage this economically and ecologically important resource.