Concerns raised over new sportfishing regulations aimed to curb invasive species

Just months aft a aviator task was launched to trim the dispersed of invasive concatenation pickerel and smallmouth bass, rules astir tossing the food backmost person expanded provincewide.

Anyone sportfishing nether a sportfishing licence this twelvemonth volition person to hold to clasp concatenation pickerel, meaning the food volition person to beryllium euthanized erstwhile caught and past taken with the angler erstwhile they leave. 

There are besides caller restrictions connected tossing backmost smallmouth bass. In the southwestern fractional of the province, they tin beryllium released successful each watersheds but the occidental subdivision of the Lahave River, an country that was a portion of the aviator task successful 2024.

In waters eastbound of Highway 102 from the junction of Highway 104, 118, 107, and 328, smallmouth bass indispensable beryllium euthanized and retained erstwhile caught. The determination is meant to code concerns astir the smallmouth bass spreading to areas wherever salmon habitats are astatine risk. 

"We cognize that eradication done angling removals is not possible," said Andrew Lowles, a assets manager with the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. "Rather, the intent present is to trim the pressure.

"The subject demonstrates intelligibly that erstwhile you trim the fig of individuals successful a colonisation … their impact, their tendency to determination and to spread, is reduced."

Smallmouth bass were recovered successful Lake Ainslie 20 years agone and person since been spreading into the Margarees, 1 of the fewer places inactive disposable for salmon sportfishing successful Nova Scotia. 

Paul McNeil, president of the Margaree Salmon Association, said a smallmouth bass was recovered past twelvemonth successful a salmon trap little successful the Margaree than they'd ever seen 1 before. He's hopeful the caller regulations volition help.

"We cognize that [smallmouth bass] have expanded their territory," said McNeil.

"We're hoping that trout stocks volition amended backmost to wherever they utilized to beryllium and we're surely hoping that the salmon stocks volition support what we person today."

Smallmouth bass were introduced to Nova Scotia legally successful the 1940s. It was an effort to effort to boost sportfishing aft logging and damming wounded autochthonal food stocks. 

While determination are circumstantial places smallmouth bass tin inactive beryllium released, concatenation pickerel indispensable beryllium retained crossed the province. That's a interest for nonrecreational sportfishing usher Matthew Szeto.

Szeto chiefly fishes concatenation pickerel and smallmouth bass successful Kinsac Lake, the Stewiacke River, arsenic good arsenic saltwater successful the Antigonish area. He's besides the president of the Nova Scotia Guide Service.

He believes helium and different guides volition suffer concern from the changes. 

"A batch of my clients that travel with maine are strictly catch-and-release (anglers).… They're uncomfortable with sidesplitting immoderate fish, particularly if it was unnecessary," said Szeto.

Szeto is disappointed successful the deficiency of consultation connected the changes. An online petition against the caller regulations has garnered much than 500 signatures. 

Anglers volition person to hold to the caller regulations upon purchasing a sportfishing licence this year.