Lead ban
Posted: Fri May 13, 2005 9:56 am
Source: The Moncton Times and Transcript
Federal government takes aim at anglers
Anglers beware. The federal government has their sights set on you.
First, it was the hunter, with Bill C-68 causing the average firearm owner not only a significant amount of expense, but a great deal of hassle as well. As a result many hunters gave up their sport and dropped out. Before that, the feds banned the use of lead shot when hunting waterfowl.
Non-toxic steel shot replaced lead, but not only did it double the cost of shotgun shells, it also proved less effective, resulting in more wounded birds. Current non-toxic replacements, those made using bismuth or tungsten are as effective as lead, yet their cost is quadruple that of lead loads. Again, this resulted in a significant percentage of waterfowl hunters giving up the sport.
Now the feds are intent on banning the importation, manufacture and sale of lead sinkers and jigs, plus any lure that contains more than one per cent lead.
Normally loons swallow small pebbles from the bottom of a lake or stream to assist in digesting food, and in the process, sometimes ingest lead sinkers or jigs lost by anglers. When ingested, even a very small lead sinker will poison and kill the loon.
However, unlike Canada, in the U.S. it's the individual states that are taking action to regulate lead fishing hardware. New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Minnesota plus a number of other states have either banned lead sinkers and jigs or are considering doing so. A study in New England of 600 dead loons sampled over 15 years found that about 26 per cent had died from lead poisoning, while about 24 per cent of 186 loons sampled in Michigan had died from the same cause.
Yet, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) is opposed to this ban even though at this point it's only in the proposal stage. Mike Reader, OFAH executive director, quotes a U.S. Fish and Wildlife study of more than 37,000 birds, at the conclusion of which: "They concluded that the threat to waterfowl from the ingestion of lead sinkers and jigs was minute."
Reader also pointed out that although thousands of waterfowl, including loons die each year from Botulism Type E, Environment Canada has not taken any action on this devastating problem.
Environment Minister David Anderson's rebuttal is that while they are often unable to reduce mortality due to disease or other causes, by implementing this proposed legislation they can reduce and eventually eliminate deaths caused by anglers' use of lead.
In Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Service published a report on breeding pairs of loons in Eastern Canada, and concluded that over the period 1990-2000, the overall rate of increase averaged 16.6 per cent per year. In its report the CWS also estimated that anglers purchase approximately 500 tons of lead sinkers and jigs each year, presumably to replace 500 tons of sinkers and jigs lost while fishing.
In Canada about 3.6 million adult anglers spends approximately $4.6 billion annually on recreational angling. Counting kids, the total is 5.5 million, about one in five Canadians. To replace lead jigs and sinkers manufacturers would have to resort to tin, stainless steel, nickel, tungsten, bismuth, or ceramics, all of which would cost double or triple those made of lead.
Note that while the use and possession of fishing jigs, sinkers and lures containing more than one per cent lead has been banned in all Canadian National Wildlife Areas and Parks since 1997, sinkers or jigs made of materials other than lead are either very few in number or non-existent in most stores that sell fishing gear.
Yet wait, its not just sinkers and jigs. Part of the proposed legislation would result in any fishing lures, including spoons, spinners, etc. that contains more than one per cent lead being banned. That would include a wooden plug that is coated with a paint containing as little as two per cent lead.
Word is that many, and perhaps most, lures on store shelves or in tackle boxes have a lead content significantly more than one per cent.
Yet, this proposed ban would only apply to the import, manufacture and sale of new lures, plus of course, lead jigs and sinkers. Then too, there will likely be a phase-in period. Even after this proposal becomes law anglers will still be able to use whatever is in their tackle box, no matter what its lead content is. This may result in anglers stocking up before the proposed ban comes into effect.
Yet, it's almost a certainty that after this legislation has been in effect for some years, additional legislation will impose a total ban on the use and possession, while fishing, of fishing gear containing lead. Thus stocking up now may not be the best choice.
This article appeared in The Moncton Times and Transcript on May 3, 2005
Federal government takes aim at anglers
Anglers beware. The federal government has their sights set on you.
First, it was the hunter, with Bill C-68 causing the average firearm owner not only a significant amount of expense, but a great deal of hassle as well. As a result many hunters gave up their sport and dropped out. Before that, the feds banned the use of lead shot when hunting waterfowl.
Non-toxic steel shot replaced lead, but not only did it double the cost of shotgun shells, it also proved less effective, resulting in more wounded birds. Current non-toxic replacements, those made using bismuth or tungsten are as effective as lead, yet their cost is quadruple that of lead loads. Again, this resulted in a significant percentage of waterfowl hunters giving up the sport.
Now the feds are intent on banning the importation, manufacture and sale of lead sinkers and jigs, plus any lure that contains more than one per cent lead.
Normally loons swallow small pebbles from the bottom of a lake or stream to assist in digesting food, and in the process, sometimes ingest lead sinkers or jigs lost by anglers. When ingested, even a very small lead sinker will poison and kill the loon.
However, unlike Canada, in the U.S. it's the individual states that are taking action to regulate lead fishing hardware. New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Minnesota plus a number of other states have either banned lead sinkers and jigs or are considering doing so. A study in New England of 600 dead loons sampled over 15 years found that about 26 per cent had died from lead poisoning, while about 24 per cent of 186 loons sampled in Michigan had died from the same cause.
Yet, the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH) is opposed to this ban even though at this point it's only in the proposal stage. Mike Reader, OFAH executive director, quotes a U.S. Fish and Wildlife study of more than 37,000 birds, at the conclusion of which: "They concluded that the threat to waterfowl from the ingestion of lead sinkers and jigs was minute."
Reader also pointed out that although thousands of waterfowl, including loons die each year from Botulism Type E, Environment Canada has not taken any action on this devastating problem.
Environment Minister David Anderson's rebuttal is that while they are often unable to reduce mortality due to disease or other causes, by implementing this proposed legislation they can reduce and eventually eliminate deaths caused by anglers' use of lead.
In Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Service published a report on breeding pairs of loons in Eastern Canada, and concluded that over the period 1990-2000, the overall rate of increase averaged 16.6 per cent per year. In its report the CWS also estimated that anglers purchase approximately 500 tons of lead sinkers and jigs each year, presumably to replace 500 tons of sinkers and jigs lost while fishing.
In Canada about 3.6 million adult anglers spends approximately $4.6 billion annually on recreational angling. Counting kids, the total is 5.5 million, about one in five Canadians. To replace lead jigs and sinkers manufacturers would have to resort to tin, stainless steel, nickel, tungsten, bismuth, or ceramics, all of which would cost double or triple those made of lead.
Note that while the use and possession of fishing jigs, sinkers and lures containing more than one per cent lead has been banned in all Canadian National Wildlife Areas and Parks since 1997, sinkers or jigs made of materials other than lead are either very few in number or non-existent in most stores that sell fishing gear.
Yet wait, its not just sinkers and jigs. Part of the proposed legislation would result in any fishing lures, including spoons, spinners, etc. that contains more than one per cent lead being banned. That would include a wooden plug that is coated with a paint containing as little as two per cent lead.
Word is that many, and perhaps most, lures on store shelves or in tackle boxes have a lead content significantly more than one per cent.
Yet, this proposed ban would only apply to the import, manufacture and sale of new lures, plus of course, lead jigs and sinkers. Then too, there will likely be a phase-in period. Even after this proposal becomes law anglers will still be able to use whatever is in their tackle box, no matter what its lead content is. This may result in anglers stocking up before the proposed ban comes into effect.
Yet, it's almost a certainty that after this legislation has been in effect for some years, additional legislation will impose a total ban on the use and possession, while fishing, of fishing gear containing lead. Thus stocking up now may not be the best choice.
This article appeared in The Moncton Times and Transcript on May 3, 2005
Hope not, I feel sorry for all the small manufactures that make the flippin jigs/jigs and weights. What will be the cost to them to make the change over or will they be able to 
(Not really)
