The North Dakota Game and Fish Department is now enforcing emergency aquatic nuisance species rules on the Red River.
Game and Fish aquatic nuisance species coordinator Fred Ryckman says the rules are in response to the increasing number of zebra mussel veligers found in the Red River.
"There's such a tremendous number of them in the Red River that any water moving from it now is of great concern, of much greater concern than it used to be. So the important thing is to make sure that all users of the Red River do not transport water from the Red River to any other body of water. So it's not just rule changes - it's a new mindset, the whole thought process of everyone using the Red River now must be that they ensure they do not move any water. It's just critical."
The first rule is that anglers may no longer transport live bait in water from the Red River. Ryckman says this means all water must be drained from bait buckets as they leave the shore or remove their boats from the water. Ryckman says unused bait must be properly disposed of away from the river. In the rest of the state, anglers can transport live bait in 5 gallons of water or less. The other rule is that all boats must have their plugs pulled when exiting the river, and remain pulled when the boat leaves the access area. Ryckman says all boats entering North Dakota must have their plugs pulled. Ryckman says anyone found to be in violation of these rules is subject to citations and fines. The rules will be posted at all access points on the Red River.
