To help prevent the spread of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) in Minnesota waters, anglers cannot use cisco, smelt, or other VHS-susceptible species as bait in any water body except Lake Superior unless it was harvested from a waterbody that tested negative for presence of the VHS virus within the past year, or has been preserved by a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) permit holder using accepted methods known to make the virus inactive.
The regulation was enacted to protect Minnesota's inland waters from VHS, which is present in Lake Superior. When fishing using preserved cisco or rainbow smelt as bait, anglers must have in their possession the label from the batch of bait being used. The label must contain the bait processor's DNR permit number, the lot number, and the date of processing.
It remains legal to harvest cisco and rainbow smelt for personal consumption in Lake Superior and Minnesota's inland waters. VHS does not have any impact on humans through direct contact or via fish consumption.
A person must have a commercial license to apply for a bait preservation permit. Bait preservation permits are available to persons who hold one of the following commercial licenses: minnow dealer, minnow retailer, aquatic farm, private fish hatchery, commercial netting of fish, fish packer or Lake Superior fishing guide license.
Questions? Contact Sean Sisler, fisheries program consultant.
VHS-susceptible fish
| Common name | Scientific name |
|---|---|
| Black crappie | Pomoxis nigromaculatus |
| Bluegill | Lepomis macrochirus |
| Bluntnose minnow | Pimephales notatus |
| Brown bullhead | Amieurus nebulosus |
| Brown trout | Salmo trutta |
| Burbot | Lota lota |
| Channel catfish | Ictalurus punctatus |
| Chinook salmon | Oncorhynchus tshawytscha |
| Emerald shiner | Notropis atherinoides |
| Freshwater drum | Aplodinotus grunniens |
| Gizzard shad | Dorosoma cepedianum |
| Lake whitefish | Coregonus clupeaformis |
| Largemouth bass | Micropterus salmoides |
| Muskellunge | Esox masquinongy |
| Shorthead redhorse | Moxostoma macrolepidotum |
| Northern Pike | Esox lucius |
| Pumpkinseed | Lepomis gibbosus |
| Rainbow trout | Oncorhynchus mykiss |
| Rock bass | Ambloplites rupestris |
| Round goby | Neogobius melanostomus |
| Silver redhorse | Moxostoma anisurum |
| Smallmouth bass | Micropterus dolomieu |
| Spottail shiner | Notropis hudsonius |
| Trout-Perch | Percopsis omiscomaycus |
| Walleye | Sander vitreus |
| White bass | Morone chrysops |
| White perch | Morone americana |
| Yellow perch | Perca flavescens |
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plan Health Inspection Services has identified fish listed here as:
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