The recent updated bait fish proposed regulations released by the DEC reminded me of just how complex our fishing – and in some cases hunting – regulations and laws have become in recent years.
The bait fish regulations were established shortly after Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) was first confirmed in New York waters in May, 2006 in Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. VHS is a disease that causes hemorrhaging of the fish’s tissues, including internal organs. There is no known cure for VHS.
The three transportation corridors listed by the DEC include: along Lake Erie-Upper Niagara River; the Lower Niagara River-Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River; and, the Hudson River from the Federal Dam at Troy downstream to the Tappan Zee Bridge. The designated waterbodies also include their tributaries upstream to the first impassable barrier to fish. Only certified disease-free baitfish may be transported in motorized vehicles outside of the transportation corridors specified in the proposed regulations. Details of the transportation corridors are contained in the proposed regulations and may be viewed on DEC’s website at http://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/73305.html.
These new corridors reflect the previous bait fish regs that basically said all natural baits must be used exclusively in the watershed systems they were taken from, and all purchased baits must be certified VHS-free by DEC. The new proposed regs have less impact on us, although capturing bait from one watershed system, then transporting it and using it in another system is still prohibited. The newly developed corridors reflect the most likely hotspots where VHS-infected baits may be encountered.
Aquatic diseases, some of them introduced by alien species, have been at the root of many of the ongoing increases in special regulations that affect angling today, but other changes have been brought about by special interest groups of anglers. Take for example, we now have sections of certain watersheds that require catch-and-release, artificial lures only, and fly fishing only. The arrival of Didymo, an invasive alien vegetation that covers and chokes stream bottoms, mostly in the Catskill area watersheds, required the prohibition of felt-soled waders and boots be worn there since spores could cling to the felt and spread to other waters.
Fish species regulations, primarily size and daily limits, are the reflection of fisheries managers’ attempts to keep certain species reproducing naturally and ensure sufficient densities are available for anglers to catch. Slot limits, such as for lake trout, are in place to assure a sufficient number of adult-age spawners are available to keep the population stable. The same applies to higher minimum length regulations, such as on walleye and musky.
Hunters have also seen regs and laws tightened , both by diseases and species management approaches. An outbreak of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) in deer in a small section of Central New York a few years ago saw the DEC kill and test thousands of wild deer there, and hunters were required to transport any deer harvested there to approved locations for testing. Thankfully the CWD was confined and, so far, hasn’t spread.
With the prohibition of toxic lead shot for waterfowl hunting came another change avid hunters had to adapt to. The fact non-toxic shotshells cost much more than lead pellet shells caused a rather large percentage of waterfowl hunters to give that hunting activity up. Also a factor may have been the rather complex daily and seasonal limits of certain duck species, as well as the species gender. Many areas also had split duck seasons installed that allowed hunting for a shorter period in fall, when weather was better and fewer ducks had migrated south, followed by a longer season later, when the weather was colder and fewer migrating ducks were available.
Goose hunting fared little better, as decreasing flyway counts and poor nesting seasons in Canada indicated lower goose limits and shortened hunting seasons should be implemented. The irony of this was far fewer geese were migrating south, due to a string of mild winters in the East. So in just a few years, our geese populations went from low to high. So high, in fact, that a special September season had to be installed for Canada geese and a spring one for Snow geese. Here again, goose hunters have not returned to previous levels in many of the more problematic areas.
Another factor that has impacted sportsmen and women are the major habitat changes that have occurred in recent decades. Time was, small game species attracted thousands of hunters each autumn. But as the smaller farms disappeared and fields and pastures returned to natural growth less friendly to hosting and holding small game species, success rates plummeted. Pheasant, cottontail rabbit, and ruffed grouse – once the darlings of small game hunters – gradually declined, or relocated to suburbs and fringe areas where the habitat was friendlier to their survival.
These days, any angler or hunter had best thoroughly familiarize themselves with the current regulations to insure they aren’t breaking any fish or game law, and ignorance of the laws are no excuse to attempt avoiding a healthy fine.

Raptor Nesting Platform Erected On Power Pole Near Hamilton
NYSEG personnel from Norwich recently conducted a training session when they erected a used 60-foot power pole in a marsh owned by Gary and Bonnie Will of Hamilton. On top of the pole is a nesting platform that could accommodate a pair of ospreys or bald eagles for years to come. Because of their wide wingspans, large raptors such as ospreys and eagles are sometimes electrocuted when they attempt to land on the tops of power poles, the extended heights of which seem to attract them. Such special platforms have become quite popular along the St. Lawrence River valley and adjacent marshes.