LANSING, MI (AP)-- Anglers who buy minnows to use as bait in Michigan no longer will be required to have their receipts with them while fishing under new state regulations.
The Department of Natural Resources previously required anglers to be in possession of the receipts to help fight a fish-killing disease called viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS.
The rule was meant to steer people to shops where bait was certified as disease-free.
VHS was discovered in the Great Lakes in 2005 and has caused large-scale fish kills. Some species typically used as live bait are susceptible to VHS, such as emerald shiners and white suckers.
The DNR says the receipt requirement can be dropped because anglers have become more informed about risks associated with bait fish.
