Live Bait
 

Today, I was at the Derby in Meridith, talking to one of the men running the board and he mentioned a new bill being voted on in the state senate soon. Proposing to ban all live bait being sold that is from out of state. He said this could be the end of the derby as we know it along with hurting bait stores operating in the state. Apparently there is not enough live bait available within the state. I am not a fisherman but was puzzled as to why this was being pushed, that this would hurt bait stores as well as fisherman. He was encouraging people to contact their rep to vote to appose this from being enacted.

Ridiculous Bill
 

It’s a ridiculous bill for sure. Honestly I doubt it’s going to get far. I would estimate that 90% of our live bait comes from Maine. It would completely cripple local sporting and bait shops as well as fishing as we all know it. That simply won’t be allowed to happen in my opinion.

Here’s you go…. https://www.change.org/p/oppose-nh-h...1377_en-US%3A3


Dan

this relentless government over-reach is ridiculous... who dreams this stuff up?

Unrelated to fishing, but about the nanny state inserting themselves into hobbies: I own several classic cars - there is a new bill afoot (HB326) requiring classic cars to have seatbelts retrofitted or they can't be operated outside of 20 miles from home. These were not required in pre-1967 cars. Not only will this affect the value of cars restored to period correct condition, it subjects the owners to an unreasonable expense to have them installed. This from a state that has "Live Free or Die" as its motto and doesn't even require seatbelt use for adults!

I often wonder how politicians come up with these dumb ideas ? Government over reach at its finest.

I don't get the petition though.
It seems like they are trying to influence the EC.

Maybe as a way to influence Ayotte?

Why???
 

My first thought was, are they trying to have an impact on invasive species, but nowhere in the text of the bill does it explain why.
I primarily use artificial bait but this bill could have far reaching effects for the whole sport.

Yes, hard to find the rationale online, but your explanation makes sense. The bill itself bans not all imported bait, only "bait fish". It also looks like the guys objecting are primarily bait fish sellers.

Nothing surprising about bait sellers objecting, but folks who bemoan invasive fish in Winnipesaukee might consider that maybe the ban on importing fish is a good idea. We do not know what the next invasive species will be

All bait fish supplied from out of state already goes through a certification process to ensure there are no invasive species. We are talking smelt, shiners, suckers, etc, etc.

You are wrong in assuming only bait fish sellers are objecting as there is not fishermen / sportsmen that I know who does not object to this bill.

Dan

Has anyone contacted them and asked what they are hoping to accomplish?

Ok !! OK !!, I'll be the one who asks...

What State did these POLITICIANS come from? Did they grow up in NH and have NH Values ...or... Did the move here from another State with different values imposing their OLD State on NH? This is one reason that NH has changed so much in the last 20 years.

Move here from there and change here to there?

Rep. Long arrived around 2010 according to his bio.
He was active in the National Guard before that, and some intermingling with NH; but was from Massachusetts.

Rep. Read arrived around 2009; originally from Tennessee.
She is a Clerk for the NH Fish & Game department according to her bio.

I am wondering if Maine's ban played a role in this?

Are you going to count the Free Staters, too??

Read
 

Rep. Read is not a state employee as this statement makes it appear. She is a member of the fish and game legislative commission. If she were a state employee it would pose a conflict of interest when it came time to vote on raises for state employees.

My Boo-boo.
Her bio does state resource committee.

Bill Killed
 

As expected... The committee voted 15-0 to kill HB 720 which would’ve prohibited the importation of bait fish.

Good riddance!

Dan

Excellent


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Any idea what the issue was?
Seems out of the blue.

Yes, since Dan corrected my first thought, I've been on the edge of my seat wanting to know the impetus. Losing 15-0 increases my curiosity again--why does somebody sponsor a bill without knowing it has at least some support? So many legislators on both sides waste time with BS grandstanding, virtue-signaling, etc

Genesis
 

From what I have been told from someone “in the know” more than me…..

“The genesis was likely from "outside of the state", the source being something along the lines of a "be kind to animals (that includes minnows).”

There you have it!

Dan

So why would imported ''minnows'' be given more ''protection'' than domestic?

Don’t try to figure it out….the bill never made sense to begin with and why it was shot down in such dramatic fashion…

Dan

Like John, I can't quite help myself. But this protection idea and the never make sense point may combine to be a clue--one group that likely wants to protect minnows and/or make fishing more difficult, and also does not worry too much about making sense is People for the Ethical treatment of Animals (PETA). These are not your garden variety animal lovers.

PETA people believe that all life is equal, literally--hardcore vegans, no fish for dinner, no leather shoes, no rats and mice to develop new cancer cures, no animal use of any kind...

They did not expect any support, they only wanted to make a point

Agreed
 

I agree with this...

Dan

I disagree. Follow the money. If it were to pass who would have gained the most. Local production and supplies. The representative that introduced the bill, are there suppliers in his or hers district? Just wondering


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Guidestar
 

You can find Form 990 for most 501(c)(3) organizations on Guidestar. I came across one a few years ago sending out letters to other non-profits and to legislators asking for people to file bills at both state and local levels. Something to do with dogs. Their pitch revolved around getting bills passed, although their total success was two counties near NYC. Five "volunteer" attorneys served on the Board of Directors, all from Chicago. That year, they raised about $6,000,000. Not bad work if you can get it. Most law firms ask associates to devote some amount of time pro bono. Supporting non-profits is one way to do that.

Well, I guess my " out of State " suggestion was diff running in the correct direction.

This has been going on for 40 years. New Hampshire now is considered from Ashland and North. Everything South of that is considered Northern Mass.

NH has let it happen, so now we just have to " sck it up Butta cup..."


Go Smelt GOOOOO, Swim with the RIVER CURRENTS of FREEDOM.:rolleye1:

The supplier without importation would be our own lakes.

Even Coos County is roughly 40% population born in a different State.

Except that money usually behaves rationally. If there was a group behind this for financial gain, they most likely would have calculated the expected return on their efforts--ie they would not have introduced a bill to a 0-15 deficit on the committee. They would have laid the groundwork first

They may not care if they save the cockroaches. They tried, and they want your donation to help carry on the work. And for a monthly donation you get a T-shirt and a picture of this homeless cockroach in Belaraia. Then they make more money by selling your name and address. "My kids never write, but I get these wonderful letters from people building butterfly gardens in the Yukon."

Out of curiosity, I looked at the House Consent Calendar for this week https://gc.nh.gov/house/calendars_journals/. There were 17 bills voted ITL, 21 OTP. That's a lot of bills with no perceived merit.

I'd like to see us become a minnow Sanctuary State.

For that, they would ban the taking of them locally... and import as many as they can.

Which would make the local game fish happy.

There are very very few places left in the state where can legally trap or net smelt in the state basically because they are no longer there. That is one of the main reasons we import most from Maine.

Dan