A bill, HB 720, to ban live bait imports was defeated by unanimous vote (15-0) within the New Hampshire Fish and Game and Marine Resources Committee on Feb 12^th. The 1 hour and 17-minute hearing is posted here: House Fish and Game and Marine Resources (02/12/2025) - YouTube.

HB 720 is the first item presented to the Committee. The sponsor, who spoke first, and Amanda Hansen from Upstream Policies who spoke at 44 minutes into the recording, described the bill as being to prevent the introduction of invasive species. The Upstream Policies Delaware live bait study did not assess invasive species risk. A questionable study completed by Upstream Policies claimed to have found three pathogens and several parasites.

Bait retailers, New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, and New Hampshire Wildlife Federation opposed the bill. Points made included: New Hampshire Fish and Game accepts Arkansas Department of Agriculture farmed live bait inspections and certifications, introduction of invasive species are regulated, demand for live bait would exceed wild supply, farmed bait preserves wild populations (protects natural resources), locally caught wild live bait may not be available during the winter months (frozen waterways), bait retailers would be economically impacted including business closures, state revenue through fishing license sales would be impacted, and the overall beneficial economic impact of recreational fishing to New Hampshire would be reduced. The state agency provided economic impact estimates.

NAA Note

Early indications are the New York legislation, A03330, intended to ban live bait imports will not be heard within the Committee on Environmental Conservation.