Ontario Releases Strategy to Manage Nipigon Basin
BACKGROUNDER - The Ontario government will make Ontario lakes cleaner and healthier by banning the live sale of several invasive fish species, Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay announced today.
"Invasive species are a very real environmental and economic threat to the Great Lakes and we need to keep them from being introduced to our waters - either accidentally or intentionally," said Ramsay, at a meeting on the proposed National Alien Invasive Species Strategy. "By banning the live sale of these fish species we are delivering real, positive change that will safeguard our natural environment and protect our recreational and commercial fisheries."
The new regulation prohibits the buying and selling of live bighead, black, silver and grass carp, along with all species of snakehead, and two species of goby that are used for bait. Invasive carp species have a voracious appetite, high reproduction and growth rate. If they were to take hold in the Great Lakes, they would have a severe impact on recreational and commercial fisheries, and on fish and wildlife habitat in shallow and near-shore areas.
The new regulation also includes a ban on selling these fish for aquarium use, and extends to grass carp for use in backyard ponds. Carp species that are currently sold live in food markets will still be available for sale but must be killed before the customer takes them from the store. At least 160 exotic species have already been introduced into Ontario lakes and streams. Once exotic species are established, they are difficult and expensive to eradicate.
"This ban follows similar action in the U.S. and will protect the Great Lakes and Ontario's inland waters from the introduction of these destructive invasive fish," said Mike Reader, Executive Director of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters.
"Invasive species have also been linked to health issues, such as botulism in birds, which in turn raises concerns about their impact on humans," said Ramsay. "Our people's health is our most precious resource. We need to take all necessary steps to protect it from harm."
Contact:
Ginette Albert
Minister's Office
(416) 314-2212
(647) 227-5747 (Cell)
Steve Payne
Ministry of Natural Resources
(416) 314-2106
