Champlain VHS laws

[predator]

Our club is having a couple pike tournys on Champlain before bass season opens up. Right now, due to VHS in the Great Lakes, its against NY state law and Federal law, to transport a live fish across the VT/NY border. We called State of VT yesterday and they said "yes thats true", we need to restrict fishing to VT side only.
We were wondering how other clubs are handling this. If you base on VT side do you tell everyone they can only fish Vt? Same deal for NY, if you start from Ny does everone only fish Ny. Another question, is traveling---when you are headed down the middle of the lake you may cross the border 100+ time, if you follow the law, this is not legal with fish in the live well.
VT is hoping the feds and NY come up with border water ruling soon, but for now we need to deal with it

[predator]

I know there is a federal law which says you cannot leave NY with a live fish and a NY law which states you cannot bring a live fish into the state. Both NY and feds have said there will be changes to these laws but hasnt happened yet. If these dont change it will be a mess for everyone. I imagine the Saint Lawerance/great lakes have the same issues.

[capticeman]

I'll be at the Northeast Team bass event the first sat. about 100 boats so far and haven't heard any special rules...

[predator]

There is alot written about it on the Ny DEC site

[predator]

There are a couple of good articles on this at bassfan.com. This also states the fine for breaking the federal rule at $50,000 for the person doing it and $250,000 for the club doing it.
Although you picked the line which talked about Champain---- the fed rule says "borders of any effected state" this include any state which touches the great lakes or S.LAwerance.
I was just asking what other clubs were doing, we've decided to restict everyone to VT side for now---noone in our club could afford these fines if we ever got busted. Hopefully thing change before bass season opens.

[StratosDadRI]

USDA REVISES ITS FEDERAL ORDER REGARDING THE MOVEMENT OF LIVE FISH SUSCEPTIBLE TO VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA


WASHINGTON, May 4, 2007--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service revised today its Federal Order on viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), a highly contagious disease of some fresh and saltwater fish, to allow for catch-and-release fishing activities because they do not unduly increase the risk of introduction and spread of VHS.


The October 2006 Federal Order was established to prohibit the importation of 37 species of live fish from two Canadian provinces into the United States and the interstate movement of the same species from the eight states bordering the Great Lakes. Today’s revision of the Federal Order will allow for the catch-and-release of VHS-susceptible fish in waters that cross state and international boundaries. These activities include, recreational fishing, tournaments, competitions, fishing derbies or other types of contests where individuals catch, compare and release live VHS-susceptible fish. Catch-and-release fishing activities do not include the movement of VHS-susceptible fish intended to be used as live bait.


APHIS issued the initial action in response to detections of VHS for the first time in fresh-water fish in several of the Great Lakes and related tributaries. VHS is responsible for several large-scale die-offs of wild fish in the Great Lakes region.


The original Federal Order was issued in response to the rapid spread of VHS in the Great Lakes region and the potential impact of the disease on a growing number of fish species, including species of fish raised commercially in the United States. The intent of the Federal Order is to prevent the introduction of VHS into aquaculture facilities by controlling the movement of live fish species from the Great Lakes region at risk of harboring the VHS virus while APHIS gathers more information on the disease and puts in place a federal regulatory program that allows for the interstate movement of fish susceptible to VHS via testing and certification.


The revised Federal Order will remain in effect until the interim rule is published. The modified and the original emergency orders putting these protections into place can be found on our Web site at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/anim...lture/.


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Note to Reporters: USDA news releases, program announcements and media advisories are available on the Internet. Go to the APHIS news release page at http://www.aphis.usda.gov/newsroom. Also, anyone with an e-mail address can sign up to receive APHIS press releases automatically. Send an e-mail message to lyris@mdrdlyriss10.aphis.usda.gov and leave the subject blank. In the message, type subscribe press_releases.

[predator]

Good deal!

[FishNH]

So it sounds like the Lake Champlain International (LCI) fishing derby that draws thousands of people every year, has been breaking the law for years? The LCI has weigh-in stations all over the lake. And, boy is Denny Brauer in trouble and a few million others?