Federal Ban on lead in fishing products

[Cy]

I received an email from Cabela's this week.  I know I forwarded it to some of you but I wanted to post more information about it.  Basically the US EPA is trying to ban all lead in fishing products.  The firearm industry has already been excluded from the lead ban on ammo but the fishing industry is on the radar screen.

Here is a BASS article about it.
http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/bassmaster/conservation/news/story?page=b_con_LeadTackleBanProposed_100901

Here is web site about it and a way to sign a petition and comment on the potential ban.
http://www.capwiz.com/keepamericafishing/issues/alert/?alertid=16355526

I hope you all take a couple minutes and try and stop this ban.

Cy

[djkimmel]

My comments about the issue that I submitted are posted yesterday under the Conservation board if you want to take a look at what I wrote. I always edit the canned statement and add my own comments that are important to me. You can just use what ASA provided though personal comments are more effective.

There are other options suggested on the ASA page that I recommend people follow too. I've flagged the ASA alert page through Twitter and Facebook too along with a news report under the conservation news section of GreatLakesBass.com (gets indexed and has more impact on the search engines faster through there).

It's a good idea to check in with American Sportfishing Association periodically to keep up with what's going on.

[Manxfishing]

I can see the ban coming some day. It's just a matter of time

I'd love to know how much lead is in the bottom of the Trenton channel
It has to be in the tons! I know I've added my share on days

[Mike S.]

How do these idiots plan on enforcing this?  Are they going to hire more co's?  That would be smart, considering they are laying teachers off, and begging them to take early retirement, ending in more and more stupid kids.  Then, they will eventually grow up to come up with idiotic things like lead bans in fishing products.  What are they going todo about the guys who have tons of lead sinkers and jigs and so forht hanging around the house?  The answer, nothing.  There is no possible way they can monitor what every fisherman is using.  What will be the outcome for the smaller private bait companys?  What will the little guy do?  There are so many people that pour their own fishing products, they just can't stop it.  I bet there are probably some members here that have a good surplus laying around to be melted.  This is really aggaravating to me.  Two years ago, they pulled this crap with kids' dirtbikes and quads.  They said that sales were to stop because there was lead in the paint for the frames, and possibly in internal engine parts.  Honestly, whose kid chews on the frame of their dirt bike?  If they do, you got way bigger issues than lead paint.  But anyways, these people are just jerk offs that  have nothing better to do than sit on their butts in a chair, and try to ruin somebody's fun.  To them I say, look out boys, here comes the big finger!

[Firefighter Jeff]

WOW Mike, let us know how you REALLY feel  !!!!   lololololol

[MadWags]

How do these idiots plan on enforcing this?  Are they going to hire more co's?  That would be smart, considering they are laying teachers off, and begging them to take early retirement, ending in more and more stupid kids.  Then, they will eventually grow up to come up with idiotic things like lead bans in fishing products.  What are they going todo about the guys who have tons of lead sinkers and jigs and so forht hanging around the house?  The answer, nothing.  There is no possible way they can monitor what every fisherman is using.  What will be the outcome for the smaller private bait companys?  What will the little guy do?  There are so many people that pour their own fishing products, they just can't stop it.  I bet there are probably some members here that have a good surplus laying around to be melted.  This is really aggaravating to me.  Two years ago, they pulled this crap with kids' dirtbikes and quads.  They said that sales were to stop because there was lead in the paint for the frames, and possibly in internal engine parts.  Honestly, whose kid chews on the frame of their dirt bike?  If they do, you got way bigger issues than lead paint.  But anyways, these people are just jerk offs that  have nothing better to do than sit on their butts in a chair, and try to ruin somebody's fun.  To them I say, look out boys, here comes the big finger!

Right on Brother!
They are already destroying small business in the construction industry with this new lead paint regulation that went into effect in April. They created another beauracracy to take money from contractors for certification and then charge rediculous fines for not being certified. With no way to enforce this new law they have offered contractors a piece of the $37,000.00 fine for turning in other contractors. In effect the cost of doing business just went up dramatically and customers will now feel the pinch as well as these costs get passed on to them. This is all we need in an extremely weak economy where people are scraping to get by in a state with the highest percentage of people living below the poverty level.
Our government is out of control and we are letting it happen.

[thedude]

whats ironic is that they left the ammunition out of this... by law you can't hunt waterfowl with lead anymore, but making a steel ball is pretty easy, however, you can still hunt on or near water and wetlands with lead shot for birds like ...pheasant or doves (well in other states lol).

Think how this would effect the salmon fishing industry! There is no duck or goose in the world that is gonna dive 50+ feet down and eat a 15lb rigger ball or 1lb dropper weight. Probably not eating 1/2oz jigs or spinnbaits bodies either!

If there is true concern here, very specific regulations need to be made - either on a lake by lake basis or on very specific types of fishing tackle like split shots and small weights - where there is already modestly priced non-toxic alternatives. I have to believe that there are specific conditions (eg water depth and food sources) that cause waterfowl to ingest lead. The vast majority of ducks and geese don't go underwater any deeper than as far as they can reach with their butt still dry.... so why in the world would banning lead have any positives if it was banned in water over say 3' deep?

ZEBRA mussels account for high toxicity in many birds as well, why aren't they doing more to fix that problem - which has a much broader ecological scope than birds eating lead. A sign at the boat ramp that says "don't transport zebra mussels" doesn't count!

[TCook]

Signed it!

[djkimmel]

Thanks!

[yukonjack2]

Signed it as well.    This wasn't directed at the fisherman directly.  I don't want to get too political, but here she goes.  with the upcoming midterm election, there isn't an elected official that wants the publicity of gun control . This was a backdoor way to get gun control passed without an elected official responsible.  Use the non elected folks from the EPA on an obscure directive basically bans all lead products including bullets for everyone but police and military.  Fishing tackle was just ancillary damage on this one.  Fishing accounts for much more numbers of anglers than hunters nationwide, so hopefully the uproar here will help everyone involved to bring it to the forefront of actually how dumb the EPA actions are on this one.

[bassassasin88]

Birds are annoying anyway.