A Study of the Sale, Use, and Release of Live Bait in Maryland, Jay

A study of the
sale, use, and release
of live bait in Maryland
Jay Kilian
Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Annapolis, Maryland
MAPAIS Meeting
May 13, 2010
Bait bucket
introductions
in the
Mid-Atlantic
Approximately 47 freshwater species introduced as
bait in Atlantic slope drainages (P. Fuller, USGS)
Bait bucket introductions in Maryland
Until recently, the sale and use of live bait in Maryland
has been unmonitored and unregulated.
Bait bucket introductions of Virile Crayfish
Distribution as of 1960
Distribution as of 2010
• It is now one of the most common species in streams, rivers, and reservoirs
• Its expansion was followed by concurrent range contractions of native crayfishes
• Rusty Crayfish discovered in MD in 2007
• Following this discovery, MDNR banned use and possession of
all live crayfish in Upper Potomac, Middle Potomac,
and Lower Susquehanna basins
• This discovery provided impetus for bait and angler surveys
We conducted two surveys to answer these questions:
Telephone survey of Maryland bait shops (October 2008)
To determine:
1) what types of live bait are sold
2) the source of live bait
Mail survey of Maryland freshwater anglers (December 2008)
To determine:
1) how many anglers use live bait
2) where anglers get their bait
3) how anglers dispose of unused live bait
Telephone survey of Maryland bait shops
Methods:
• Called 71 Maryland bait shops
• Shop owners/managers were asked:
• Do you sell live bait?
• What types of live bait do you sell?
• What is your top-selling bait?
• Where do you purchase your live bait (e.g. wholesalers, internet, etc.)
• Randomly-selected 12 bait shops (3 from each of 4 Fisheries Regions)
• Visited and purchased bait from these twelve shops and five
additional shops that reported selling crayfishes and green crab
• All earthworms, crayfishes, fishes, and crabs purchased were identified
to species
Telephone Survey of Maryland Bait Shops
Results:
76% of bait shops sold live bait
Bait types sold:
• Worms (94% of bait shops) - 11 types
• Fishes (76% of bait shops) – 9 types
• Crabs/ Shrimp (52% of bait shops) – 4 types
• Crayfishes (9% of shops) – sold as small, medium, and large
Telephone Survey of Maryland Bait Shops
Results:
Sources of bait to MD bait shops:
Internet not a source…Good News!
Internet
Crabs/Shrimp
Self Caught
Worms
Crayfishes
Local Collector
Fishes
Wholesale Distributor
0
20
40
60
80
100
Percent of Bait Shops Selling Specific Bait Type
Maryland bait shops reported purchasing from 24 wholesale distributors
Telephone Survey of Maryland Bait Shops
Results:
Species purchased from Maryland bait shops:
Category
Genus/ Species
Worms
Lumbricus terrestris
Lumbricus rubellus
Eisenia fetida
Fishes
Carrasius auratus
Pimephales promelas
Notemigonus crysoleucas
Fundulus diaphanus
Fundulus heteroclitus
Crayfishes
Crabs
Procambarus sp.
Carcinus maenas
Emerita talpoida
Name under which species was
sold in bait shop
Nightcrawlers
Canadian nightcrawlers
Green nightcrawlers
Green worms
Nitro-worms
Red worms
Red wigglers
Trout worms
Black saltys
Fathead minnows
Golden shiners
Minnows
Shiners
Minnows
Mummichogs
Bull minnows
Crayfish
Green crab
Mole crab
Native
Nonnative
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
ID Pending
ID Pending
X
X
Mail Survey of Maryland Freshwater
Anglers
Methods:
• Randomly selected 10,000 (approx. 6%) freshwater anglers
• Selection included resident and non-resident anglers
• Stratified selection: 23 counties, Baltimore City, and all other
states combined
• Survey questions included:
• What types of live bait do you use?
• Where do you get your live bait? (e.g. self-caught, bait shop, internet, etc)
• Where do you fish with live bait? (e.g. creek, river, small pond, reservoir)
• What do you do with your unused live bait?
Mail Survey of Maryland Freshwater Anglers
Methods:
• Answers were categorized by bait type. Example:
If you use live bait, where do you get it? (Circle one or more answer for each bait category that applies to you)
Minnows/Shiners
a. catch my own
b. bait/tackle shop
c. internet
d. convenience store
e. vending machine
f. other
______________
___________________
Earthworms/
Nightcrawlers
a. catch my own
b. bait/tackle shop
c. internet
d. convenience store
e. vending machine
f. . other
_______________
_____________________
Crayfish
Grubs/Mealworms/
Waxworms/Maggots
a. catch my own
b. bait/tackle shop
c. internet
d. convenience store
e. vending machine
f. other
_________________
______________________
a. catch my own
b. bait/tackle shop
c. internet
d. convenience store
e. vending machine
f. other
_______________
____________________
Other
(bait type you specified in
Question 3)
a. catch my own
b. bait/tackle shop
c. internet
d. convenience store
e. vending machine
f. other
__________________
_______________________
• Anglers were allowed to choose more than one answer
• Numbers of anglers using bait were extrapolated from sub-sample
response
Mail Survey of Maryland Freshwater Anglers
Results:
• 9,236 surveys were successfully delivered
• 2,237 (24%) survey forms returned
Anglers (X1000)
• 101,095 (64%) of 157,118 anglers use live bait
Total Angler Population (157,118)
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
LiveBait
Minnow
Worms
Crayfish
Grubs
Other
Mail Survey of Maryland Freshwater Anglers
Results:
Where do anglers get their live bait?
Percent of Anglers
100
Self-Caught
75
Bait Shop
Convenience Store
50
Vending Machine
Internet
25
Other
0
Fish
Worms
Crayfish
Grubs
Other
Mail Survey of Maryland Freshwater Anglers
Results:
How do anglers dispose of unused bait?
Percent of Anglers
100
75
Release in Water
Release on Shore
50
Save For NextTrip
Dispose in Trash
25
Dispose Other
0
Fish
Worms
Crayfish
Grubs
Other
• Majority of anglers release live crayfish and minnows into MD waters
• Worms and grubs are released on shore and in home gardens
The take home message…
• MD bait shops are a source of non-native, potentially invasive species
• Most bait sold in shops originates outside of MD and, in some cases
outside of the Mid-Atlantic region
• Anything imported into MD and sold as bait, will be released
The bait industry is dynamic, so….
the sources and types of live bait sold in Maryland are likely to change!
Challenges we face:
1) Prevent import and sale of invasive bait species
2) Prevent the further spread of invasive bait species already established
Preventing the import and sale of invasive bait species…
Possible steps to take:
• Require that all bait distributors register with MDNR
• Require that all retail bait shops provide sources and types of bait
being sold
• Require that wholesale distributors identify bait to species level and
disclose sources
• Educate all wholesale and retail distributors on current MD regulations
• Encourage local retail bait shops to sell only native species
• Provide taxonomic training to Natural Resource Police officers and
to bait shop owners
• Improve enforcement of regulations and monitoring
• Develop a White-List of non-native, non-invasive species that can be sold
Preventing the spread of invasive bait species…
• Educate, Educate, Educate!
• Social Marketing
• Additional regulations
Hopefully, history will not repeat itself…
Distribution as of 1960
Distribution as of 2010
Thanks to:
Ron Klauda, Sarah Widman, Michael Kashiwagi, Rebecca Bourquin, Sara Weglein,
John Schuster, Tammy O’Connell, Marek Topolski, Lisetta Silvestri, Megan Mueller,
Kerrie Kyde, Jonathan McKnight, and MDNR Invasive Species Matrix Team