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There is a perception that all the decisions have been made and "public input" is a necessary evil that policy makers are forced to go through. The perception is that the cake has been baked already.

Certainly the proposed system isn't foolproof; there will always be people who will try to exploit the loopholes. But here's the thing - bait bucket introductions have been shown to be a major vector for the introduction of non-native species in inland lakes in North America. Not just "invasive" species and diseases, but spreading native fish species into waters where they don't naturally exist. This has led to a major shift in the fish communities in many lakes across Ontario, particularly lakes that formerly supported naturally reproducing populations of brook trout. Brook trout are particularly sensitive to competition...pike or perch accidentally introduced to a brook trout lake will most likely see the brook trout wiped out in short order. Ontario currently has the most relaxed rules around bait harvest, possession and movement in North America...most other jurisdictions have banned live bait outright. The most streamlined and foolproof approach for Ontario would be a complete ban on live bait...but MNR recognized that that option would have been unpalatable for the majority of anglers. So they came up with a compromise. It may be a tough pill for some people to swallow, but one needs to consider it compared to the option of no live bait at all...

Sea lamprey are native to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean; in Europe and much of the east coast of North America, they're considered a species at risk, largely due to loss of spawning habitat. Science is split on whether sea lamprey are also native to Lake Ontario and the Finger Lakes in upstate New York; there is some evidence that they're been there since the glaciers retreated, other studies suggesting they got into those lakes in the early 19th century. Regardless, almost everyone agrees that sea lamprey are not native to the other Great Lakes; that they were blocked by Niagara Falls until the construction of shipping canals between Lake Ontario and Lake Erie allowed them to access the other lakes. The were first documented in Lake Superior in 1938; the bi-national sea lamprey control program began in 1960.

Thanks for the update RLS!

Here is my setup, currently the sonar puck is for my 12 foot boat transom not my canoe, but I can change it to the skimmer transducer quick enough. The silver clamp is for clamping truck box caps on pickups and I added a piece of snowmobile slider material to the screw clamp. The sonar pictured is mounted to a quick clamp from CTC which I can use on a boat or canoe. This one is what I use for portaging my small boat or canoe, or my bud's scanoe into small lakes and rivers. It releases quickly and gets put into a cooler along with the bait, days catch, etc. I put a shoulder harness on the cooler to portage it also to allow my hands to be free to carry other stuff or move sticks, branches out of the way.