The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is quietly considering a ban on lead in fishing tackle, a move that could have devastating economic consequences on the fishing tackle industry and pass a huge cost on to recreational fishermen.
The ban is based on shaky science and is a bad idea both as an environmental policy and as a way of managing the fisheries industry. And yet, as soon as November the EPA should issue such a ruling, and in doing so could bring a lot of misery into the angling community based on very questionable claims.
Originally a ban on lead in fishing tackle was first seriously proposed back in 1992, but the EPA rejected it after finding that scientifically there was no significant impact on bird populations (the reason given by environmentalists for the ban) and that the economic consequences would be devastating for the fishing tackle industry and individual anglers.
Nothing has changed in science or impact since then, except maybe the fact that with the economy in such rough shape the impact on the fishing tackle industry and fishing communities would be even more devastating now.
However, environmentalists are trying again as five different organizations have petitioned the EPA for the lead ban based, again, on the Toxic Control Act of 1976.
The EPA has already rejected the first part of the environmental groups’ request, a ban of lead in gun ammunition, on the obvious grounds that the EPA can’t very well override the Second Amendment. Gun groups were quick to rally against this idea. But the proposed fishing tackle ban remains a possibility.
The science listed in the request is pure arbitrary nonsense. The Center for Biological Diversity in California has claimed that lead from ammunition and fishing sinkers kills 10 to 20 million birds every year. There is no way of knowing how they arrived at those numbers (which are ridiculous) but just think about that spread.
10 to 20 million? They couldn’t narrow it down within 10 million?!?
An outright ban based on these crazy numbers could cripple the fishing tackle industry as it would send costs for tackle through the roof, approximately tripling or quadrupling the cost of fishing tackle and bringing economic devastation into the industry and increased costs on average anglers when they can least afford it.
A Senate bill has been introduced that would tie lead in fishing tackle to actual scientific studies. That would be the way to go.
Sportfishing groups are leading the charge against the ill-considered measure. The EPA is currently accepting public comment on the issue and anglers can submit their comments through this website.
For more fisheries management information see my blog A Dash of Salty or my Fisheries Politics page on Surf and Salt.
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