Interbasin Transfer of Aquatic Biota via Anglers' Bait Buckets

Abstract

The dispersal and introduction of nonindigenous aquatic species have often been attributed to the release or escape of baitfish and other biota from anglers' bait buckets. Using data obtained through two mail surveys of bait vendors, bait samples from retail locations, vendor interviews, a creel survey, and a literature review, we estimate the potential for anglers in North Dakota and Minnesota to contribute to the dispersal of nonindigenous fish from the Mississippi River basin into the Hudson Bay basin. Specifically, we estimate the probability of a single angler on a single angling day in the Hudson Bay basin releasing live bait from the Mississippi River basin to be 1.2/100. But when the cumulative number of trials—19 million angler days per year—was considered, the estimated probability of bait bucket transfer occurring once, 100, or even 10,000 times in 1 year approaches 1.0. In light of these findings, we conclude that drastic policy measures would have to be undertaken to reduce anglers' potential for contributing to the dispersal of aquatic species.