transporting live fish

Post by **Jale** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 8:43 am

Since the opening of bass is this weekend i usually like to keep 3 or 4 small bass for a family fish fry at the end of the weekend.

My question is this. Can i transport fish from the lake to my residence alive in the livewell so they are still fresh when i get home or must they be dead while transporting?

I usually keep a cooler with ice for these but since i now have a livewell in my boat is this ok?

I have looked over the regulations and unless i missed something I didn't get any clear answers to this question.

Thanks for the help

Post by **big-o** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:05 am

If they are legal size ...you can transport alive...., that how i transport all my fish

Post by **Markus** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:20 am

I'd love to transport a few tubs of pike to my cottage on the east coast!

Post by **eye-tracker** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:28 am

Markus...
I think you can transport them...you just can't release them

BTW a few Erie walleye would also be a good idea

Post by **Markus** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:33 am

I can only wish.

I think the fishing is the only thing keeping me here!

Post by **big-o** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:38 am

Marcus

Made up your mind yet for Caigers....would love to see you and Pink Lady there

Post by **SkeeterJohn** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:48 am

Transfer of Live Fish or Spawn
No live fish or live spawn may be transferred from one body of water to another without the authorization of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

I'd say legally you're ok to do it but should you get to your destination and decide not to keep them afterall you are not allowed to realse them into another body of water.

I've seen first hand what this can do and how devistating it can be. A few larger carp were stocked legally into a lake i used to fish in england and it turned out that they were infected with a disease that cost the club dozens of dead fish over the next year.

It has become common practice to disinfect nets to try and stem disease being carried from one body of water to another and to trace the origins of many fish being transported so as not to infect a healthy lake population.

I've heard it said before to buy minnows in the area you intend to fish and not to bring them back home and release them in your local waters.

Post by **Markus** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 9:55 am

big-o wrote:Marcus

Made up your mind yet for Caigers....would love to see you and Pink Lady there

We are trying to juggle a couple schedules. I may have something else that'll require a week of my time, so fitting everything in is becoming diffiuclt.

If we can do it, and we really do want to, we'll let ya know. Be nice to have PL there so Snag can can have someone to share hair-do stories with.

Post by **Lakeshore** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 10:14 am

What about keeping live fish (say like a pike or bass in an aquarium) is this possible. The reason I ask is because I think it owuld be a nice compliment to an educational setting. I am asking because I woulod like to use them in a high school setting as part of a natural ecosystems unit in grade ten science. I would release them back into the lake of origin after the unit is over or at the end of the scool year, whichever comes first. Is is legal to keep outdoor fish like pike and bass walleye in an aquarium???

Post by **M.T. Livewell** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 11:55 am

I would release them back into the lake of origin after the unit is over or at the end of the scool year, whichever comes first.

Lakeshore, I wouldn't be caught dead trying to transport them back if the season was closed at the time of the intended release. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

I am not aware of any reason you couldn't transport live fish to bring to the dinner table. But it was my understanding (walleye in particular), that when caught, the adrenaline kicks and in and it (somewhat) spoils the taste of fish. I have been told to nuke the fish as soon as I bring it in, if I intend to keep it for dinner.

Be nice to have PL there so Snag can can have someone to share hair-do stories with.

Nice one.

I like a man who lives on the edge.

M.T. Livewell

Post by **Markus** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:24 pm

MT, you bring up a good point about transporting out of season fish. But to further that point....wouldn't being in posession of them out of season be illegal? I guess you could hold them in a tank as long as they we''re released (or eaten) by the close of the season.

Post by **SkeeterJohn** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:47 pm

Markus wrote:wouldn't being in posession of them out of season be illegal?

Does that mean the fish in my freezer are now technically illegal

Post by **eye-tracker** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 12:55 pm

M.T. Livewell wrote: But it was my understanding (walleye in particular), that when caught, the adrenaline kicks and in and it (somewhat) spoils the taste of fish. I have been told to nuke the fish as soon as I bring it in, if I intend to keep it for dinner.

Hrrm sounds interesting, if walleyes adrenaline kicks in from the stress of being caught then you will need to kill it just after it strikes the lure.

I noticed M.T. that you mention you have been "Told to nuke the fish as soon as you bring it in"...is this because you have no fish in your livewell to nuke nor try this?

Sure like to get you on that avatar name...

I think I will stick to keeping the walleye alive til' I get home or to shore to clean them.

Post by **banjo** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 1:23 pm

I'm pretty sure that somewhere in the regs it says that you can keep them in an aquarium, but they count towards your possession limit.

Post by **wolfe** » Tue Jun 22, 2004 2:26 pm

This is an interesting question (keeping fish for the aquarium) -- I would have assumed the answer would be a loud, emphatic "NO". But maybe I'm wrong. Also, to release the fish back into the lake at a later date might risk putting in a virus picked up from other fish that shared the tank.

I always thought it would be neat to do this, too, but just surmised it was illegal. (Similar to laws against keeping wild animals.) I'll bet some Hawk Talker out there will find the black & white answer.

W.