The Lake George Association (LGA) has issued a comment letter in response to proposed changes in baitfish regulations by the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC), urging the agency to maintain the current regulations, without change.
An organization with 125 years of experience in protecting and conserving Lake George, the Lake George Association supports maintaining the current New York State baitfish regulations. “Revising the laws to allow transportation corridors in the state is a mistake, and a disappointing step backwards in our fight to protect New York waters from invasive species,” said Walt Lender, LGA executive director.
“The best defense against invasive species is identifying the pathways of invasion and establishing spread prevention programs to address those pathways. Current regulations address baitfish transport as a major pathway. These laws must remain as strong and enforceable as possible,” said Emily DeBolt, LGA director of education. “Once an invasive species is established, the costs to control it far outweigh any preventative measures,” she said. Currently Lake George is estimating a cost of over $400,000 to combat a new invasive believed to have been in the Lake only two or three years – the Asian clam.
Baitfish are well documented vectors for spreading aquatic invasive species (AIS) from infected to uninfected waters (Litvak and Mandrak 1993; Ludwig and Leitch 1996; Litvak and Mandrak 1999; Goodchild 1999). Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), largemouth bass disease, and spiny waterflea are just a few of the known AIS threats that can move to new waters via the baitfish pathway.
In 2007, New York State (NYS) became a leader in addressing the baitfish pathway by instituting several regulations that control the use of baitfish. Since then, at least three other states, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Ontario, have followed New York’s example and instituted similar regulations. There is wide-spread agreement that if the regulations, as they stand, are followed and properly enforced, the chance is low for VHS and other AIS to spread to waters via the baitfish pathway.
Some people feel that restricting the overland transport of uncertified baitfish places an unfair burden on law-abiding anglers. However, the LGA believes that the DEC’s proposed revisions to current regulations will:
· Make baitfish regulation difficult to enforce in large areas of the state;
· Weaken prevention measures put into place to stop the spread of AIS via the baitfish pathway; and,
· Increase the likelihood of new AIS invasions into the waters of the state.
Said LGA Executive Director Walt Lender:
“New York State has the opportunity to continue to be a national leader in the prevention of aquatic invasive species from entering state waters. The baitfish regulations, in conjunction with several new policies under consideration, including ballast water initiatives, the four-tier invasive species regulatory list, and an aquatic species transport law, represent a powerful shield against further invasion. If the overland transport of baitfish were to be allowed, even in corridors, a huge gap would be created in an otherwise strong prevention strategy.”