The future of the bait industry in Ontario is at risk, due to new and updated fishing regulations recently enacted by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR). A bad situation has been made even worse, by the fact no consultations were held beforehand with stakeholders.
Fishermen, Camp Owners, Restaurants, Bait dealers, Bait harvesters and other small businesses in Fisheries Management Zone 18 are the most affected. Zone 18 is an area to the North bounded by the Quebec border to Arnprior along the Ottawa River, and along the St. Lawrence River to Trenton in the South.
At issue is the maximum length of a fishing minnow. New regulations allow only minnows 5in. or less to be used. Selling minnows 5.1 in. is considered illegal. This is problematic as 50%---75% of the sales of baitfish have been larger than 5.1 in.
With the assistance of the Ontario Landowners Association and Mr. Randy Hillier MPP (Lanark, Frontenac, Lennox & Addington) a meeting to discuss the issue was convened in Sharbot Lake, January 14, 2008. In spite of inclement weather, over 100 people attended. It brought together MNR officials, Bait Association of Ontario and the newly formed Eastern Ontario Outdoorsmen Association (EOOA), whose members include Harvesters, Dealers, Anglers, Businesses and other affected stakeholders. At the insistence of Mr. Hillier, the MNR agreed to contact the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to resolve the issue within a week.
As a result of this meeting the MNR has offered to meet with the Eastern Ontario Outdoorsmen Association to consult with and clarify other related issues affecting the industry. The Fishing Industry is worth $2.1Billion to Ontario, and Ontarians cannot afford to lose any sector of the rural economy due to management errors by anyone!
Contacts
Janie Kerr Secretary Eastern Ontario Outdoorsmen, 613 264 0299
Jack MacLaren President Ontario Landowners Association 613 832 3201 cell: 613 223 5534
