ECOLOGY OF FRESH-WATER BAITFISH USE IN CANADA AND THE UNITED-STATES

The baitfish industry in Canada and the United States is conservativel y estimated to be worth $1 billion annually. In addition to the econom ic impacts, this industry also has ecological impacts. We review the p otential impacts of the use of baitfish on the harvested (donor) ecosy stem as well as the ecosystem in which the baitfish are used (recipien t). We summarized the current, provincial, territorial, and state bait fish regulations for both countries and compared our results to the fi ndings of a similar study in 1956. Although the number of regulations in both countries has increased, clearly transport and release of bait fish is still poorly controlled. We undertook a more detailed examinat ion of the US $29 million baitfish industry in Ontario. The listing of 15 baitfish species as vulnerable or threatened, and the presence of disjunct populations as a result of bait-bucket transfer of 12 species indicates Ontario baitfish regulations/enforcement have not adequatel y protected donor and recipient ecosystems. We also conducted a survey of baitfish practices for customers of four major baitfish dealers in Toronto, Ontario. We found that almost half of the anglers surveyed r eleased their unused baitfish at their fishing destinations, even thou gh this practice is prohibited by Ontario fishing regulations. We insp ected contents of the dealers' holding tanks and plotted the destinati ons of anglers who bought these baitfish. Eighteen of the 28 species f ound in the tanks were potentially used outside their known ranges. In light of these findings, we present a number of recommendations to be tter manage this economically and ecologically important resource.