Wisconsin Administrative Code
Department of Natural Resources
NR 1-99 - Fish, Game and Enforcement, Forestry and Recreation
Chapter NR 19 - Miscellaneous Fur, Fish, Game And Outdoor Recreation
Subchapter I - Miscellaneous
Section NR 19.0575 - White sucker spawning permit required

Universal Citation: WI Admin Code ยง NR 19.0575

Current through August 26, 2024

(1) No bait dealer may take the eggs or milt from white suckers caught from any inland or outlying water for the purpose of rearing the offspring as bait unless the bait dealer is 18 years of age or older and possesses a white sucker spawning permit from the department. The permit holder shall comply with all terms and conditions of the permit. Permits shall expire on December 31 each year. The bait dealer shall include all of the following information on the permit application:

(a) The name and street address of the bait dealer.

(b) The bait dealer's license number or department customer identification number.

(c) The types and quantities of harvest gear to be used in each waterbody to collect white suckers for egg or milt harvest.

(d) The volume in quarts of white sucker eggs, milt, or both that the bait dealer is requesting to harvest from each waterbody.

(e) The waters where the bait dealer will harvest the white sucker eggs or milt.

Note: " White sucker" refers to the species Catostomus commersonii.

Note: See s. NR 20.14 for general minnow collection restrictions, s. NR 20.20 for county and statewide restrictions on waters, authorized methods, open season, size limits, bag limits and other restrictions, and s. 29.401, Stats., for gear use restrictions.

(2) The department may issue a white sucker spawning permit under this section if it determines that all of the following criteria are met, and may set specific conditions in the permit or deny applications when necessary to ensure compliance with this section, prevent or control the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus or invasive species, and maintain a supply of suckers that is sufficiently adequate to replenish the population and sustain ecosystem function in the water of harvest:

(a) The applicant is a bait dealer who holds a bait dealer's license or is exempt under s. 29.509 (3), Stats., from the requirement to hold a bait dealer's license.

(b) The eggs or milt will not be collected from white suckers in Lake Michigan, Green Bay, Lake Superior, the Mississippi River, Lake Winnebago, the Fox River from Lake Winnebago to Green Bay, or any bay, slough or backwater of these waters, or any water connected to these waters upstream to the first dam or other obstruction impassable to fish, or from any other water where the department has reason to believe that viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus may be present or where other invasive species may be present.

(3) The permit holder shall notify the department, in the manner specified by the department, at least 12 hours in advance of white sucker collection for the purpose of egg or milt harvest and shall provide all of the following information:

(a) Permit holder name.

(b) Location where fish will be collected.

(c) Time of day when collection will occur.

(d) The names of any employees operating under the permit holder's sucker harvest permit.

(e) The phone number of the permit holder.

(4) The permit holder shall comply with all of the following restrictions:

(a) All nets shall be marked in accordance with s. 29.516, Stats.

(b) Nets may not be attended, set, or lifted from one hour after sunset to one hour before sunrise.

(c) The permit holder may not use or possess hook and line fishing gear while engaged in operations under the authority of the permit.

(d) The permit holder and all employees working under the direction of the permit holder shall carry a current, valid copy of the white sucker spawning permit while conducting egg and milt harvesting activities.

(5) The permit holder or employees working under the direction of the permit holder shall immediately return unharmed to the water all fish other than white suckers captured in sucker harvest gear. All suckers from which eggs or milt are collected shall be returned unharmed to the water immediately following egg or milt collection, unless the permit holder has been issued a wild bait harvest permit for that waterbody and keeps the suckers as authorized under the wild bait harvest permit. All dead suckers removed from the harvest gear shall be disposed of away from the water, bank, or shore of the waterbody.

(6) The permit holder or employees working under the direction of the permit holder shall disinfect all sucker harvest gear and transport equipment after use to prevent the spread of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus and other invasive species.

(7) The permit holder or employees working under the direction of the permit holder shall decontaminate all eggs harvested within 24 hours of harvest.

(8) The permit holder shall maintain clear, legible daily records in the English language on forms available from the department of the total volume of eggs harvested per waterbody. The record shall include the waterbody of origin of the white suckers from which the eggs or milt were harvested, the nearest road crossing or latitude and longitude to where the white sucker eggs or milt were harvested, the number of white suckers collected in all gear per waterbody that day, the date of harvest, and any other information required on the record form. The permit holder shall submit the records to the department within 7 days following harvest. The permit holder shall retain all harvest records for a period of 2 years.

Sucker harvest record forms are available at https://dnr.wi.gov.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Wisconsin may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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