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EPA Sides with Hunters on Lead Ban; Fishermen Still in Limbo

Posted by Jason Sealock on Tue, Aug 31, 2010 @ 12:28 PM
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Lead Sinkers still being considered by EPA following Petition from American Bird Conservancy

Friday, The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a statement, rejecting the petition submitted by Michael Fry of the American Bird Conservancy to ban lead in outdoor sports, namely ammunition and fishing tackle. The rejection addresses jurisdictional issues over the agency's legal authority to issue such a ban under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976.

This petition was filed in early August, but is just one of many the EPA has received related to lead in fishing and hunting equipment.

This was a win for all hunters, however, fishermen are not in the clear yet with the second part of the petition still under review by the EPA. According to the EPA, there are no jurisdictional issues with the agency’s authority over fishing sinkers, however, so they are still reviewing the petition in terms of that side of the argument.

We don’t quite understand how banning lead in hunting ammunition is outrageous to the EPA but banning it in fishing sinkers is not. Our guess is that it has to do with the lead being in the water.

To read the full release from the EPA, visit this link on the epa.gov website. To read the EPA's rejection of the ammunition portion of the petition, visit this link.

To read the petition, visit this link on regulations.gov. To speak out on the fishing sinker/tackle side of the issue, please visit regulations.gov Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OPPT-2010-0681.

The EPA will consider comments made by September 15 on this petition and issue.

We'd love to hear your comments on this matter.

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Comments

Lead is outdated and useless. it should be banned. It is too big, too dangerous around children and animals, and it is just not practical anymore. If you aren't using Tungsten anyway you are seriously disadvantaged anyway, so ban it! Who cares!
Posted @ Tuesday, August 31, 2010 2:31 PM by steve vonbrandt
I use tungston weights for my soft plastics but your forgitting one thing Steve older crankbaits have lead in them and most spinnerbaits have lead heads along with jigs. Also most ocean and river fishermen don't use tungsten weights cause size does not matter and it would cost a ton for a two or three once tungston weight.
Posted @ Tuesday, August 31, 2010 3:54 PM by John Tellor
Banning lead would put a big dent in the fishing industry, not everyone can go out and pay 5 bucks for 3 tungstun weights or 12-15 dollars for a crankbait or 9 bucks for a spinnerbait, not only would sales drop but you would see slower developments in new lures since a lot of inovations come from the small custom guys that pour their own lures, a lead ban would put these guys out of business due to the fact you can't melt tungstun at home.
Posted @ Tuesday, August 31, 2010 5:40 PM by Dan Daskus
Great point there Steve. Let us not forget the catfisherman as well. I have a friend that makes a living taking clients out for massive Blue Cats on the James River. I assume it would put people in the position to pour thier own lead and take their chances out on the water. I bass fish in the gnarliest brush piles and downed trees I can find. It's not uncommon to loose a few T-Rigs and jigs every time I hit the water. If I were to rely soley on Tungston It would cost me a great deal on a yearly basis. As if Tungston is not costly enough now, the ban on lead would cause it to sky rocket which in turn would effect sales across the board.Its a no win situation for the angler.
Posted @ Tuesday, August 31, 2010 5:51 PM by Chris Jenkins
what about brass? there could still be that option and i don't think the price could go up much more on the tungsten even if lead sinkers were banned. i have mixed feelings. you can't ban all lead, but at least think about what you can do for the environment. i wonder how this will affect tru tungsten's patent?
Posted @ Wednesday, September 01, 2010 1:11 AM by Matt
There is always going to be some problems when it is the beginning of a transition. I use spinnerbaits that have Stainless steel and I use Terminator Tungsten also, but you are right about the lead in crankbaits, etc, so the soloution is not to keep doing it. Find another way, and move on. I guarantee you that in 50 years it will not even be an issue and there won't be any lead in anything, nor will there be 3000 chemicals in all the food, or High Fructose Corn syrup in the bread and way too much sodium in all the products, it just wont be there, as with all things, change is inevitable. Might as well get started now. If we don't we wont be here to worry about it much longer anyway.
Posted @ Wednesday, September 01, 2010 3:30 PM by Steve vonbrandt
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