Fishermen can no longer lure fish by throwing bait into trout streams. The Natural Resources Commission banned the controversial practice of “chumming” on most trout streams at their monthly meeting Thursday night.
Jim Dexter is chief of the Department of Natural Resources’ fishing division. He says anglers on trout streams use too much chum which keeps other fishermen from getting bites.
“They’re putting out large amounts and that ends up disrupting the feeding behavior of fish in these areas and it impacts their fishing trip quite substantially,” says Dexter.
Dexter says the ban also helps to keep fish in the state safe. Some preservatives in fish eggs - a popular form of chum - have been linked to the death of juvenile fish in the salmon family. Dexter says this also insures that viruses found in fish eggs on the West Coast can’t make Michigan fish sick:
“Even though it’s a small chance, it’s a chance. And all of these eggs are available to come into the state. There’s no prohibition on importation of eggs and they can actually come in from all over the world. And so this was a key piece of information the commissioners took into consideration before their decision.”
Fishermen are still allowed to use fish eggs on their fishing lines. The ban on chum affects more than 20,000 miles of trout streams in Michigan.
