A new catch-and-kill mandate in Nova Scotia to curtail the spread of invasive smallmouth bass and chain pickerel has been implemented and expanded, with violating anglers to face fines as high as $500,000 as reported by Wired2Fish.
While the angling community is concerned about the effects of the catch-and-kill mandate, fisheries experts maintain that the measures could benefit native species by decreasing pressure from invasive species.
Nova Scotia anglers to face $500,000 fines and possible jail time for releasing invasive smallmouth bass and chain pickerel
While smallmouth bass are native to the St. Lawrence and Great Lakes, the Hudson Bay by way of the Red River, the Mississippi River basins and Atlantic and Gulf slope drainages from Virginia to central Texas, smallmouth bass are invasive in Nova Scotia. The criteria for invasive species, according to the Nature Conservancy of Canada, includes having been introduced to an area and not naturally occurring as well as causing harm to the ecosystem, both of which is true of the smallmouth bass in Nova Scotia.
In fact, smallmouth are sometimes considered to be one of the most dangerous invasive fish in North America, in some instances more cause for concern than the infamous snakehead.
The Nova Scotia Salmon Association shares that in the 1940s smallmouth bass were introduced to Nova Scotia with the goal of providing additional opportunities for anglers. In the following years, smallmouth bass have moved beyond the waters they were introduced to. Now, these bass compete with salmon and trout, both native species to Nova Scotia.
In September 2024, anglers in the Margaree River watershed were ordered to euthanize smallmouth bass if caught rather than release.
Where smallmouth bass were introduced legally, chain pickerel were introduced illegally in the 1940s. Chain pickerel are an aggressive ambush predator often associated with significant declines in fish diversity. Expanded regulations now mandate that anglers are also to kill any chain pickerel caught or face a $100,000-$500,000 fine.
What the expanded catch-and-kill mandate means for Nova Scotia Anglers
The catch-and-kill zone for pickerel now extends throughout the entire province of Nova Scotia, and according to a CBC news story, the catch-and-kill zone for smallmouth has been expanded upon as well, to now include the western branch of the LaHave River and the northeastern half of the province, roughly bisected by highway 102. The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture’s goal is to limit the spread of the two species, allowing native species such as trout and salmon a chance to rebound. The mandate will be effective April 1, 2025.
“If you catch a smallmouth bass or chain pickerel in any of those areas, you must euthanize the fish as quickly and ethically as possible. You may not release it, or any part of it, back into the waterway or be subject to the $100,000/$500,000 fine schedule, and possible jail time. Anglers may take the fish for personal use, but may not sell any parts of them,” Joe Albanese wrote in the Wired2fish news story.
Veteran Nova Scotia fishing guide Ryan Anderson told Albanese that smallmouth in Nova Scotia support a vibrant recreation fishing scene, and that the catch-and-kill regulations could eliminate some of the best fishing in the province. Anderson also raised concerns that the smallmouth and pickerel fisheries would be destroyed without any real possibility of replacing them, as smallmouth and pickerel have largely stepped up to fill the shoes of the waning salmon and trout fisheries.
I guess it’s time to eat? Don’t just kill ’em and waste ’em. Last time I went up to Canada for a fishing trip, the locals told me they felt the same way about smallmouth bass. Called ’em garbage fish. ONLY wanted pike and walleye in their lakes. It’s interesting how people view different species in different regions.