Lead ban

[crash]

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

[Bass assassin]

Crash,
Interesting article. I have many jigs and sinkers that are lead based. It seems that the only thing most stores sell is lead jigs and sinkers! Hard to find tungsten ones. Any idea on what penalty you would face if cought with lead gear?
BA

[crash]

I recieved that letter from the OFAH.
It looks like they will even go after lead core line next.
As for penalties I dont know.

[Cancatchbass]

Wow! The folks in New Brunswick are really behind the times!

This was news many months ago.

With a possible change of Government, this may turn out to be a non-issue. The Conservative Party has taken the official stand that the proposed lead ban is not based on good science and would not promote such a bill.

The Conservative environment critic is Bob Mills ... Mills.B@parl.gc.ca (phone 613-995-0590). Send him a note or give him a call and tell him we appreciate his work on this subject!

CCB

[Jigs]

I'm old, screw it

Don't care



Gettin testy in me ol age

[Cancatchbass]

Jigs- Say it isn't so!

Is that what I have to look forward to in my GOLDEN years?

CCB

[Jeremy Parker]

I have made the jump to lead free this year. If this does get passed 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

Guys/gals we are concerned for are own tackle boxes what about the small manufactures. I hope the government will offer them help

Lets just hope and pray that they don't have success with this ban.

Down with the Liberals

Jeremy

[BigSim]

I heard about this a month or two ago myself, and when put into the same perspective as Bill C-68, One can't help but wonder if this may acutally have a negative longterm impact.

In the rural community that I grew up in, in the past few years, the deer population has gorwn, significantly, and from a family member in the MNR, I have heard that it has done so over most of our province. This resulted in the MNR allowing multiple tags for deer, as well as longer seasons in many hunting zones.

While I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, If this was caused, by any part, in the decline of hunters in Ontario, then you can't help but draw the same connection in the number of fish in the water, as well as loons. Having said that, you can't really consider lead to be part of the natural culling process.

But what happens if the loon population were to stop, in say 10 years, after any lead left in the water was eaten by the loons, and they stop declining by 14%. Would the population not then begin to grow exponentially? This would end up in an increased population of loons, while their natural habitat decreases anually at an alarming rate.

Then there would be the fish population, which would eventually begin to grow itself, if a lack of anglers resulted from a ban on lead. While this may be good to help replenish our natural fish resources, eventually we could begin to see an overpopulation in naturally reproducing strains, which could begin to overwhelm baitfish populations, which in turn could eventually lead to a virtually non-existant food source for these fish. As well as baitfish, it coud lead to a decline in underwater vegetation, the natural habitat and protection of smaller species of fish.


While these all may seem to be distant problems that we can possibly fix, and it may all be heresay, I can't help but wonder myself if the long-term thoughts from our government haven't been followed through.

A ban on lead might not stop me from fishing, depending on the cost differences and so on, and I'm sure many of your are dedicated to this sport in the same manner I am, but the problematic thought process behind this idea may have more dire affects on our great sport than the current death rate of loons.


Just my thoughts on the matter.

BigSim

[Eagle]

How will they determine if you have a lure that has one per cent or more lead in it, Waldo the lead sniffing dog??? Scan with the "lead-o-meter"? How will we be sure a lure we buy meets this regulation? The point here is, will it be too much of a hassle to fish? Spend the $$$ re-stocking your tackle box, but every time you hitch the boat you are stopped and checked. Can you imagine what this will do to boarder crossing?

Need to figure out how to make lead taste bad to a loon and a favorite food for the double crested cormorant. (Not really)

Keep us posted on this.

Eagle

[hoeboe]

yeah just wait until the loon population EXPLODES like the cormorants. then we'll be in the same situation as we are right now. cull, cull, cull.

honestly though. does it really matter that 150 loons in New England died of lead posioning??? where are their priorities? the environment should be left to be dealt with the MNR NOT a political party who has their own agenda in mind for vote gathering.

and as for the Liberals getting out of power.... GOOD LUCK. it doesn't matter how bad they F-up. the canadians with the short memory and forgiving heart will once again vote the FIBERALS in again.

[Cancatchbass]

Eagle:

The proposed legislation does not prohibit the USE of baits with lead content.

The ban is on the manufacture, import or sale of those products.

CCB

[Eagle]

Will we be able to bring lead jigs, spinnerbaits, etc. across the boarder from the US for personal use??? Doubt that it would be worth crossing for a few years.

This is a hot topic and I do not mean to sound negative. Just see a lot of work needs to be done before they can do that. Have no problem going leadless if need be, but how will I know the lure I buy REALLY is lead free?

HEY:idea: , we could have tackle box storage places like the ministorage and boat storage places. Buy up old bus depot lockers....... YES, thats what we can do. Turn lead into GOLD!!!! Guess the antihistamine is kicking in.

Six more weeks and about 8 hours and 45 minutes until we head NORTH, but who's counting!!!

Have a great weekend everybody!!!!!!!!!

Eagle

[sparky]

I'm very doubtful that lead fishing tackle kills any loons at all. Those U.S. studies just talk about "lead", not lead jigs and sinkers, and undoubtedly the real culprit was lead shotgun pellets. I've seen studies that couldn't pin any significant loon mortality on fishing tackle at all. It's another one of those brainless "feel-good" government moves. "Don't know if it'll do any good. But it won't hurt, so let's just ban the stuff anyway."
Kind of like the gun registry. "Well, it can't really do much good, but heck, how much can it cost?"