Councillors here will draft a resolution seeking support from other municipalities in its long-standing battle to prevent bait-fishing in local streams.
Ward 1 [Minto] County Councillor Mark MacKenzie asked Minto council at its Jan. 11 meeting to consider new measures to prevent bait fishers, who are licensed by the province, from operating in local waterways.
“This issue goes back 15 years,” said MacKenzie, noting that natural resources ministry staff and police have been reluctant to enforce trespassing violations by bait fishers, on those occasions when the public do report them.
“People need to know where to phone,” said MacKenzie, who asked council to publish a notice explaining the procedure they can take if they encounter bait fishers on their property.
MacKenzie said indiscriminate fishing methods mean many game fish are caught in the bait fishers’ nets. While noting “they are supposed to release the game fish,” MacKenzie doesn’t believe such regulations are always adhered to. The effect of bait fishing locally has been observable for years, he stated.
“When was the last time you saw a kid fishing on the side of the road and catching anything?”
Council agreed to draft a resolution for circulation among Association of Municipalities of Ontario members, asking the province to improve enforcement of bait fishing violations. Council is also considering MacKenzie’s suggestion of applying for the single bait fishing license available in the town. If successful, such a move would shut out commercial bait fishing operations, which, MacKenzie pointed out, are big business.
“A bushel basket full of minnows is worth $3,000,” he explained.
