Loons and other waterfowl can die from lead poisoning after accidentally ingesting pellets and devices. Lead is toxic and the lead device lost by fishermen causes lead poisoning in wildlife, especially birds. Birds swallow small pebbles to grind the food they eat. Lead and lead jigs are mistaken for small pebbles and swallowed by birds and kept for a long time in their gizzards, which often leads to their death. Hence the size restrictions. Lead can also contaminate soil and water and then be absorbed by plants and aquatic invertebrates. The most obvious problem that lead can cause is lead poisoning. Any fisherman who has been on the water for a few years probably can`t count how many times he`s bitten on a shot split with lead while rigging his rod. I had some family members who even held lead shots in their mouths to be ready when it was time to rig their cane! If a lead contains any amount of lead, it will be considered illegal if it does not meet the length and weight requirements. “A recent report to the EU indicates that two million birds die each year from lead consumption, and the impact of lead on human health is well documented.
These six states mainly ban pellets or devices that weigh an ounce or less. Vermont is slightly less strict and bans pellets that weigh 0.5 ounces or less. Fishermen who fish with carrots and lead devices are not always aware of regulations in their state and in some federal protected areas that prohibit the use of lead equipment beyond a certain size. This article explains where and why it is illegal to buy, use, manufacture and sell selected sizes of weights, printed circuit boards and other lead fishing gear. But the effects of using lead fishing weights are gradually being recognized by some of the world`s largest countries. These countries have begun to propose certain restrictions on lead-containing pellets in order to create incentives to develop better alternative materials for lead production. It is illegal to sell or offer for sale lead in the state of Vermont. In this Section, “sinker” means any piece of equipment that weighs half an ounce or less and is attached to a fishing line for the purpose of lowering the line and that does not include other items related to lead fishing such as the weighted fly line, the lead core fishing line, descending balance cannonballs, weighted flies, baits, spoons or aircraft heads. (Added in 2003, No.
137 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. 1 January 2006.) “A lead ban will have an impact on costs, but EFTTA has recommended in the past that industry voluntarily eliminate all lead weights weighing more than 0.06 grams to prepare for future legislation in a timely manner.” A 1999 study by Franson concluded that swan poisoning in the Thames Valley decreased by 70% after the law was passed. Since then, lead fishing weights of less than 1 ounce have remained banned. Simon de Devon commented: “I was very pleased with this development and it seems that the writing for the use of lead products in fishing is now hanging on the wall. A blanket ban on the sale and use of lead capture weights in Europe has already been proposed with a three-year phase-in period. Three 1/4-ounce tungsten divers cost Cabela $5.79. Comparable lead sinks are only a fraction of the price, at $8 for 25 divers.
Simon Pomeroy, who runs Pallatrax, a company that makes eco-friendly Stonze fishing weights, welcomed the news. In some states of the United States and other countries around the world, lead of a certain size is banned. “Some manufacturers have covered their lead weights with plastic, but given concerns that plastic content is entering our rivers and oceans, this only adds to the pollution problems. Washington bans the use of lead fishermen and lead devices measuring 1 1/2 inches or less along the longest axis, but only in 12 lakes in the state where loons breed and raise their young. In July 2015, despite protests from the California fishing community and the lack of scientific evidence suggesting that fishing gear is a source of these threats, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) declared fishing gear to be one of the seven biggest threats to Californians and their environment in its departmental priority plan. The impact of this plan could lead to onerous rules for fishing gear, leading to bans on commonly used gear and/or exponentially increasing the cost of purchase. This, in turn, would likely reduce the participation of fishermen in California and, ironically, negatively impact the revenues that are passed on to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to support its mission to protect and enhance the state`s fisheries and wildlife resources. The law also prohibits the sale of lead inks and devices weighing 1 ounce or less in New Hampshire. Loons were placed on Vermont`s endangered species list in 1978 to protect it and restore its population. Over the years, the population slowly grew and the loonie was finally removed from the list in 2005.
The state of Vermont has enforced this law against plumbers to prevent the loonie and other birds from becoming endangered in the future. Here`s the Vermont Lead Fishing Gear Act as it`s written: Lead-free equipment also makes for a real snowshoe underwater — a huge benefit for anglers. Beauchesne notes that fish pick up sound vibrations through their lateral line and use them to locate their prey – so a product whose sound travels a long distance when bouncing off the ground is a foolproof attractant to fish. A top-notch sound choice is a “brass and glass” combination – a glass or plastic bead between a pivot and a printed circuit board. There are several alternative materials for making fishing gear – steel, brass, tin, tungsten, bismuth and even stones. Unfortunately, these materials do not have the combination of properties that make lead such a popular choice for making weights and fasteners. Lead has a low melting point, low cost, high ductility and malleability. But on the positive side – none of these alternative materials are toxic and harmful to the environment. There are six states that currently have a ban on lead weights! This decision is very similar to that of the United Kingdom, where small and large weights are banned and not just large sizes. Massachusetts prohibits the use of lead fishermen and devices less than 1 ounce in all inland waters.
Since 2012, Jan Kappel, Head of Public Affairs at the European Fishing Equipment Trade Association, has said: “All alternatives to lead are more expensive and there are additional costs in the manufacturing process. The first stage will cover lead fishing weights below 50 g, followed by a ban on lead fishing weights above 50 g within five years. from the date of entry into force of a prohibition. But many users of lead in all its forms as a fishing weight will be dismayed. Scavengers can also be poisoned by lead bullets. When hunters shoot and cannot find wild animals to retrieve, scavengers like condors and golden eagles can be injured by the metal inside the carcass. A study shows that lead ammunition could have disastrous consequences for California`s condor population, and the population could grow from 400 to just 23 birds over the next decade. However, there are still no solid restrictions, and the Australian government is only encouraging fishermen to use lead-free alternatives instead. In 1991, due to concerns about the health of the waterfowl population, the federal government officially banned the use of lead shot in waterfowl hunting. This mandate was given out of concern for waterfowl that absorb used lead in small, limited wetlands.
Yet there is still no peer-reviewed scientific evidence that lead caused the effects on the population of America`s migratory waterfowl population. In 2013, California became the first state in the country to pass a law banning the use of lead ammunition for all hunting purposes and was fully implemented in July 2019. But lead is still used by most hunters for highland birds such as pheasants and capercaillie, and for big game. Most importantly, fishermen throw pellets millions of times into lakes, rivers and streams every year.
