New DNR rule: No fish bait from outside Wisconsin allowed
4/4/2007, 6:18 p.m. EDT
By TODD RICHMOND
The Associated Press
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin anglers can no longer use imported bait unless it meets strict testing requirements or move fish off the Great Lakes or the Mississippi River under an emergency rule state wildlife officials adopted Wednesday to contain a virus that causes fish to bleed to death.
The rule is designed to slow the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia, which kills fish by causing massive internal bleeding. The virus poses no threat to humans.
The virus was discovered in Europe in the 1960s. It was found in the lower Great Lakes in 2005 and 2006. Wildlife regulators believe the virus has probably spread to Lake Michigan.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials fear it could reach Lake Superior and the Mississippi River, leading to contamination of inland waters.
The Natural Resources Board voted unanimously to adopt the emergency rule, which will go into effect no later than Monday.
Under the rule:
_Possessing and using bait from outside Wisconsin that hasn’t been tested for the virus is prohibited.
_Possessing and using dead bait is prohibited except in Lake Michigan.
_Moving live fish and eggs from the Great Lakes and the Mississippi to other waters is prohibited, unless the fish or eggs test negative for the virus.
_Boaters must drain all water from bilges, ballast, buckets and live wells immediately after leaving the Great Lakes or Mississippi.
