Statewide inspection program ideas ?

What would a Statewide AIS program look like? I’ve got an idea, not sure how feasible or sensible it might be.

Just like a daily parking stub for the windshield, but given out at participating bait shops, gas stations, tourist centers, lake service providers, marinas, boat stores(any business that wants to participate).

All the folks listed above would get annual training from the DNR. Stop in before you launch and get inspected by them and get the stub, listing the date(s) time and lake it would be used for.

Local Enforcement would have a quick way of checking at accesses.

It would provide some economic stimulus to local economy, reduce the need for hiring more Gov/DNR staff and give angles and boaters 24 hour access (if 24 hour services could be arranged).

Goofy idea? If so, whats yours?

Not a bad idea considering the alternatives. I don’t know how feasible it is. Would a bait shop want to be in that business? It requires an employee going outside. When it is busy, this might be a nuisance. Or when it is slow, you have to have 2 people staffed, unless you want to leave the till unattended.

Why is Minnesota so unique that we have to do these things? Are there other regions going through the same issues?

Why not take all the damn money they want to allocate for this and instead buy up tv and radio time and flood it with the message to prevent the spread?

I agree with Pug. If this were an option, I would like the idea of a multiple day permit if I stay on the same lake.

Tv and radio is a better idea but theres always a few who get through no matter if theres inspections or what. Is it so bad that they have to close ramps down at certain times of the day, How many would vote that this is going to help, its just going to slow the transfer down. In 10 years will those lakes still be free from the species, it sounds like something you just have to put up with.

Sure, multiple day permits (no trailering during this). As plants and water could be moved and while it would be about a 100,000 to 1 possibility that something could be spread, it resolves the social issue.

So, in my opinion while daily use of lakes by fishing/sport boats poses almost no threat compared to moored craft or docks and other equipment. Trailers/water are concerns and steps need to be taken.

Can mass media/publicity/public education play a role, sure. How effective it is raises the question of years vs stopping as much as we can – as quickly as we can.

How many of the folks driving around with drain plugs in (we all see them) how many of them have seen some information about this, and it sailed over their heads?

But there really hasn’t been a big push to educate through the media. I am talking a big blanket campaign.

More education for the general public threw TV ect. This has to be constant education to because if there is any lapse in exposure we will all soon forget about it.

Spot checks for boats at landings. Have roaming inspectors that set up shop at different landings at different times to do inspections and further educate the public. Fines only issued on blatant abuse of transporting weeds or so on. No closed landings because the inspector could not be there.

Maybe dedicated inspector for infested lakes and lakes of higher risk. Mile lacs sure needs some with the amount of zebs in that lake and risk for transportation of them. Still no closed landings.

Pug, good point. Legislation passed this year calling for “certification of all watercraft owners” (but not operators) via a “test and sticker” to be done at the time of re/registration, likely to be an on-line test. This is being planned rather then pouring dollars into mass media public education. But this still doesn’t address our moving water or plants from lake to lake, it only proves that you passed the test.

How would a big budget AD campaign address plant and water movement compliance?

the idea of gating waters that currently do not have AIS does not make sense to me. There are presently many more lakes that do not have AIS than do. Why not gate the lakes that have AIS and if you choose to use that lake you have to be inspected upon leaving and maybe a quarantine period of a week before you can use a non infested AIS water. Heavy fines if caught not following the rules.

Tom that is the containment idea which has been widely discussed. Since most of our largest and most popular destinations have one or more AIS issues, I assume this would mean 24 hour inspection at every access on those lakes or gating them when unmanned. The MPLS city lakes have milfoil. Mille Lac has how many public and private accesses?

It is time to get organized…..

You can see that various counties and states are starting to impose their will on us fishermen….

Education and enforcement are the keys.

When I see a note – like 18 or so AIS violations coming out of boat ramps in MPLS – that is alot to have to explain away.

Trust me – most are NOT fishermen.

Dog

Dog

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How would a big budget AD campaign address plant and water movement compliance?

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Buzz, couldn’t we just send out “post cards”. (inside joke)

The state wide ais program should be….

All fisher people (bank and boat) start contacting the Governors office, the DNR Commissioners office and your representative, telling them to stop wasting YOUR tax dollars on this fiasco.
Start standing up to these lake associations and counties that are trying to limit the access to OUR waters.

We need to stop or slow the spread of Gis (Government Invasive Species) by using votes or if you happen to belong to a group that gives donations…cut off the cash until they stop the insanity.

What would a statewide AIS program look like?
Probably something like this

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What would a statewide AIS program look like?
Probably something like this

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I would be willing to put a sticker on my trailers, which would seem to be the better spot anyway since that’s where a guy is (at the crank) when the boat comes out of the water, BUT there is no way I would ever stick one of those things anywhere on my pleasure boat.

The Bard’s tale of Benedick and Beatrice should be required reading for all MN State Legislators. Then maybe, just maybe, this whole program could be relegated to the “stop the insanity” heap.

Sitting here in MI and just shaking my head and wondering how long it will take for this to catch on here. I see this stuff and think back to the whole dicussion that happened in trying to some sort of ballast cleaning protocol put in place for the ocean going freighters that also ply the Great Lakes. That is where a lot of this started and nothing happened on that front. There lobby and influence was too strong. Now you folks in MN, and maybe others soon to follow, have to address a much higher level of intrusion due in part to the very mussels those ships brought and are continuing to bring in. Tell me how that makes sense?

Species migration is as natural and ageless as the Earth. Species better adapted to and environment will edge out species who are not. Yes, humans are also a part of nature and the natural systems. Trying to fight nature with other peoples money is a waste of time and resources. You will not stop it. At best you will slow it a bit after spending a [censored] ton of money and creating criminals out of otherwise law abiding citizens. Creating more criminals is not in Minnesota’s best interest. Every extra stupid law on the books undermines respect for law in general.

If you REALLY feel some new species is going to cause a DISASTER (not a nuisance) then focus scarce resources on finding alternatives to control their population. Natural predators, safe eradication measures, etc ,etc.

Stop the insanity.

Snap, you appear to make it sound like these issues haven’t been explored in the 20-30 States effected? –Natural predators, safe eradication measures, etc ,etc.–

There is some promising research on ZM that may lead to something. But will need to be ZM specific and not harmful to the system. They are trying this in some contained areas, but it will be years before it is widely applicable.

There is plenty of life left after Zebs, studies on lakes in NY and WI, don’t seem to show the wide spread disaster that the 100th Meridian is foretelling.

The issue up here is that Lake Associations have convinced the public, legislators and environmentalist otherwise.

When meetings are held to discuss the strategies, often it is me and maybe one other angler in the room. Part of these restrictions and rules may result from our lack of participation in the process. Folks seem to want to believe whatever they believe is true, rather then science.

Future MN angler. “they’re hitting on jointed shads comrade colonel.”

Buzz, nothing personal. In fact I commend you for proposing solutions for discussion rather than just complaining (like I did in my post ) I didn’t mean to sound like no one had ever thought about population control options, only that if we’re going to focus more effort somewhere it should be there rather than trying to stop the spread though checkpoints and shakedowns which is a losing battle.

I do know one thing for sure. Forcing me though unneeded inspections or giving me a $500 dollar ticket for leaving my plug in between trips from pool 4 to pool 4 is not going to encourage me to fish and use the outdoors more. First it’s going to make me a bitter and resentful enemy to the cause, second it’s going to encourage me to find something else to do with my family’s scarce spare time. I can’t but help feel that others wouldn’t react the same.

I say when the Asian carp get here we introduce the wels catfish! problem solved! It’s a Win win!!