Input For Article Wanted

[rsimms]

As I'm prone to do, I'm using electronic means for input on an article I'm working on. As always, if you post, I'll assume it is "for the record," and use your REAL name in print. If your real name isn't in your profile, please include it in your post. If you don't want to be in print, please don't post.

The issue is lead. Most of you know how lead shotgun pellets were outlawed for waterfowl hunting and for any use in certain areas. There is a continual push from many other factions to do the same thing with fishing equipment. They are concerned about the environmental impact of continual addition of lead to our waterways and it's impact on the environment and wildlife. Please answer the following questions:

1. Do you believe lead (sinkers, jig heads, etc.) can or do harm wildlife and the environment?

2. Do you believe it should be outlawed for use by fishermen and manufacturers?

3. Do you believe it ever will be outlawed?

4. Do you ever buy lead-alternative products, such as Tru-Tungsten, because you believe it is better for the environment?

As always, thanks for your input.

 

[SpurHunter]

1. Do you believe lead (sinkers, jig heads, etc.) can or do harm wildlife and the environment? Yes, but only because I am told that by the government. </p>

2. Do you believe it should be outlawed for use by fishermen and manufacturers? No, I dont think the same danger applies for a 1, 2, 5 oz lead sinker as it does in the form of shotguns loads. I dont see waterfowl eating fishing sinkers and jig-heads. </p>

3. Do you believe it ever will be outlawed? Yes, 100%...just a matter of time. </p>

4. Do you ever buy lead-alternative products, such as Tru-Tungsten, because you believe it is better for the environment? I have purchased it one time, but because of design in the application I wanted it for, not out of concern for the environment. </p>

*I am SpurHunter, and I approve this message.*emoBigsmile </p>

 

[drumking]

rsimms - 7/8/2008 5:43 PM

As I'm prone to do, I'm using electronic means for input on an article I'm working on. As always, if you post, I'll assume it is "for the record," and use your REAL name in print. If your real name isn't in your profile, please include it in your post. If you don't want to be in print, please don't post.

The issue is lead. Most of you know how lead shotgun pellets were outlawed for waterfowl hunting and for any use in certain areas. There is a continual push from many other factions to do the same thing with fishing equipment. They are concerned about the environmental impact of continual addition of lead to our waterways and it's impact on the environment and wildlife. Please answer the following questions:

1. Do you believe lead (sinkers, jig heads, etc.) can or do harm wildlife and the environment? Very little harm if any.

2. Do you believe it should be outlawed for use by fishermen and manufacturers? No.

3. Do you believe it ever will be outlawed? No.

4. Do you ever buy lead-alternative products, such as Tru-Tungsten, because you believe it is better for the environment? No.

As always, thanks for your input.

 

[EricM]

1. No, I don't believe that the amount of lead added to the waterways by fishermen (or other sportsmen) has any measurable impact on the environment or wildlife. I have not seen any reports indicating that our public drinking water, which is supplied by these same waterways, has shown any increase in lead content attributed to recreational sportsmen. The ban on lead shotgun pellets was enacted because waterfowl ingested the actual lead pellets and therefore were affected.

2. Lacking scientific evidence that there is an actual problem of any magnitude, I believe that it would be wrong to try to outlaw the use of lead in such small amounts. If proof is found that there is actually a statictically significant risk, I would change my belief on the subject.

3. I would not be suprised if lead sinkers, etc., were outlawed, even without scientific evidence. The laws are made by politicians who too often vote based on perception and the popular "scare of the day", not on scientific fact.

4. I do not use alternative products for lead sinkers, etc., because I do not believe that the amounts involved cause any significant risk.

 

[CanoeKing]

rsimms - 7/8/2008 3:43 PM

As I'm prone to do, I'm using electronic means for input on an article I'm working on. As always, if you post, I'll assume it is "for the record," and use your REAL name in print. If your real name isn't in your profile, please include it in your post. If you don't want to be in print, please don't post.

The issue is lead. Most of you know how lead shotgun pellets were outlawed for waterfowl hunting and for any use in certain areas. There is a continual push from many other factions to do the same thing with fishing equipment. They are concerned about the environmental impact of continual addition of lead to our waterways and it's impact on the environment and wildlife. Please answer the following questions:

1. Do you believe lead (sinkers, jig heads, etc.) can or do harm wildlife and the environment?

2. Do you believe it should be outlawed for use by fishermen and manufacturers?

3. Do you believe it ever will be outlawed?

4. Do you ever buy lead-alternative products, such as Tru-Tungsten, because you believe it is better for the environment?

As always, thanks for your input.

My comments are purely personal, not professsional:

1. No, I do not believe that fishing lead harms the environment. Lead is a naturally occurring element and is a relatively stable metal, plus the amount of lead entering the waterways is miniscule compared to the volume of water they contain. Therefore, the only potential "harm" would be from direct consumption of lead products themselves. Most jigheads and weights are lost when the become lodged in logs or under rocks, making it somewhere between unlikely and impossible for fish or birds to eat them. Besides--their attraction as lure results from the animation we provide to them on the retrieve. Neither fish nor birds are going to eat enough of them to cause any real impact.

2. Do I think lead should be banned in fishing products? Of course not! Pressures to do so are motivated by an emotional reaction to the name "lead," not by a real danger to the environment.

3. Unfortunately, our governments tend to become more intrusive all the time. Restrictive regulations abound, not diminish, so I tend to think that activists will have their way with lead sooner or later.

4. No, I have never used a lead alternative. If I wanted a strong metal, I would choose steel; if I wanted a shiny metal, I would choose gold or silver; if I wanted a light and strong one, I would choose aluminum--when all I care about is weight, I use lead. I am not eating it and I have never heard that masses of children are eating fishing weights or jigheads. When I want lead I buy lead, not an alternative.

 

[coondog]

1. Do you believe lead (sinkers, jig heads, etc.) can or do harm wildlife and the environment? yes but doesnt everything we do harm wildlife and the environment

2. Do you believe it should be outlawed for use by fishermen and manufacturers? some states have all ready outlawed sinkers smaller than an 1oz that wouldnt be to bad

3. Do you believe it ever will be outlawed? yes but i dont think we will ever see it

4. Do you ever buy lead-alternative products, such as Tru-Tungsten, because you believe it is better for the environment? no it is just to high$$

 

[inthebox30lbs]

Just look at the research from lead shot and waterfowl, the duck hunters cant shoot lead any more. Why? Because ducks were picking up the pellets when they feed. All kinds of problems to the birds. I wrote a research paper in college on this the facts were overwhelming. i believe it will enventually make its way to fisherman as well. How soon who knows. Just my 2 cents
Scott Lillie

 

[team-d]

1. Yes, but very, very little. Pollution, discharge, overpopulation, overdevelopment, and destruction of natural wildlife do far more harm (to name just a few).
2. Absolutely not.
3. Absolutely, it's only a matter of time before some radical environmentalist group with no real scientific proof or facts has enough money to get a few politicians on board with them.
4. Yes, but not because I'm worried about lead sinkers hurting the environment - rather because it was what I wanted to use for the situation.

 

[Ronnie Garrison]

1. Do you believe lead (sinkers, jig heads, etc.) can or do harm wildlife and the environment?

For maybe the first time in my life I agree with something being done in Europe. From today's Fishing Wire:

The European Parliament has decided against a ban on fishing products containing lead. The Fishing Wire received a communication yesterday from the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association explaining that the Parliament had backed off previous calls for a ban on lead in fishing products "because there were no hard facts or scientific evidence as to why lead should be added to a list of 'priority hazardous substances'".

Their research shows, and I agree, that there is no harm being done.

2. Do you believe it should be outlawed for use by fishermen and manufacturers?
no

3. Do you believe it ever will be outlawed?
Yes, by the US government, regardless of facts.

4. Do you ever buy lead-alternative products, such as Tru-Tungsten, because you believe it is better for the environment?
no

 

[engatty]

Here's some yak:

I'm about prudence, responsibility, and conservation. I'm not about regulation. If it is possible to proceed without regulation, we should do so. Regulation, in and of itself, is undesirable.

It appears that the presence of lead at certain levels in humans and animals (plants?) is a bad thing. The question in my mind is.....that 5 oz egg sinker that I lost in the river last week....what will happen 10, 20, 30 years.....50 years down the line? How much lead has "leached" from that sinker into water that flowed over its surface? Does lead "leach"? Will it leach from my egg sinker? How much? Will it be significant? What kind of scientific tests must be conducted in order to determine, with certainty, the answers?

In other words, does the current rate of introduction of lead into streams and rivers by recreational anglers pose a significant present or future health hazard?

I'm a huge loser compared to most freshwater fishermen.....losing approximately 10 lbs of lead fishing sinkers into the river each year.

Steve Ball, Alabama

 

[CanoeKing]

inthebox30lbs - 7/8/2008 6:12 PM

Just look at the research from lead shot and waterfowl, the duck hunters cant shoot lead any more. Why? Because ducks were picking up the pellets when they feed. All kinds of problems to the birds. I wrote a research paper in college on this the facts were overwhelming. i believe it will enventually make its way to fisherman as well. How soon who knows. Just my 2 cents
Scott Lillie

Scott, do you still have a copy of your paper? You have me really curious, and I am always open to new information. I'd be pleased if you were willing to let me read it or point me to other sources on the subject.

-Nathaniel Goggans

 

[Guest]

1. Do you believe lead (sinkers, jig heads, etc.) can or do harm wildlife and the environment? No,none whatsoever

2. Do you believe it should be outlawed for use by fishermen and manufacturers? Absolutely not

3. Do you believe it ever will be outlawed? Yes because fisherman will for the most part not fight it until it is too late.

4. Do you ever buy lead-alternative products, such as Tru-Tungsten, because you believe it is better for the environment? No because it is far too expensive.

As always, thanks for your input.

 

[churly]

I dont know that lead has had a negative impact on our fish or wildlife. I know that there is a ton of lead out there on the lake floor from me alone and if it is found to be hazardous, we have waited too long to act. If it is found to be hazardous, it should be outlawed. I use tungsten almost exclusively now for my bass fishing, and not because of environmental issues. Tungsten has a much better feel, and it holds its shape better than lead. The obvious down side to tungsten is cost and availability, but its not enough to keep me from using it. This is an interesting debate and I am very interested to find out if lead (from fishing weights) has damaged our environment. Richard, if any research surfaces that proves either way please share it with us!

Thanks, Justin Medley

 

[Fuzzy]

I don't believe lead weights contribute unless someone can show where they are being ingested
Don't believe in outlawing until studies and proof come forth
I do believe it will be outlawed based on perceptions and not science
I do buy alternatives but do not use them exclusivly due to cost

I am more concerned with the use of plastics (worms, creatures, etc...) than I am about lead. If you ever seen a 4 in senko thats been in the water a while turn into a 10 in long 2 in round beast...you know what I mean! Lead is not man made and comes from the environment, but plastic was never supposed to be there. I wish there were more alternatives to using plastic for softbaits, I am aware of only a few companies.

 

[tennfisher]

Richard,

With all due respect to you and the questions you have chosen, I believe that the greatest risk associated with lead in sport fishing likely occurs not to the fish or the aquatic environment, but to those of us who MELT lead in the production of jigs and lures in places around our homes where there is inadequate ventilation, thus exposing ourselves and family to a genuine health risk. Just my 2 cents.

Tennfisher

 

[MadBomber]

I pour a lot of jigs for myself and my friends. I believe that lost jigheads have no negative impact on water quality. I pour jigs outside in a well ventilated area because vapor from the melting pot may be hazardous. I think the major danger from lead is in lead based paint. Sanding dust from refinishing lead based paint in my opinion is very hazardous. I doubt that ingesting lead paint chips is too terribly bad because of all the #2 pencils I chewed the paint off of in Elementary school. Lead dust, however, breathed into the lungs is a whole different animal. Its there forever.</p>

So no, fishing lead is not an environmental hazard.</p>

It should not be banned but I would not be surprised if it were banned anyway.</p>

I do not now nor do I plan to use lead alternatives.</p>

 

[rsimms]

tennfisher - 7/9/2008 1:09 PM

Richard,

With all due respect to you and the questions you have chosen, I believe that the greatest risk associated with lead in sport fishing likely occurs not to the fish or the aquatic environment, but to those of us who MELT lead in the production of jigs and lures in places around our homes where there is inadequate ventilation, thus exposing ourselves and family to a genuine health risk. Just my 2 cents.

Tennfisher

FYI.... one biologist I interviewed shared how he gave up pouring his own jigs when lead concerns came up. An issue worthy of mention. Thanks... and thanks to all! I sense a general distrust of government. emoScratch emoBigsmile

 

[tennfisher]

MadBomber - 7/9/2008 12:34 PM



I pour a lot of jigs for myself and my friends.  I believe that lost jigheads have no negative impact on water quality.  I pour jigs outside in a well ventilated area because vapor from the melting pot may be hazardous.  I think the major danger from lead is in lead based paint.  Sanding dust from refinishing lead based paint in my opinion is very hazardous.  I doubt that ingesting lead paint chips is too terribly bad because of all the #2 pencils I chewed the paint off of in Elementary school.  Lead dust, however, breathed into the lungs is a whole different animal.  Its there forever.</p>

So no, fishing lead is not an environmental hazard.</p>

It shoul not be banned but I would not be surprised if it were banned anyway.</p>

I do not now nor do I plan to use lead alternatives.</p>

Madbomber you and I are on the same page. My thinking is if sanding lead based paint is very hazardous because of the lead that might be inhaled, then melting lead in an inadequately ventilated space is likely equally hazardous. Like you, when I melt lead I do it outside, preferably on a day with a little breeze, and be sure to stand up wind.

Good fishing!

Tennfisher

 

[Dropshot]

1. Do you believe lead (sinkers, jig heads, etc.) can or do harm wildlife and the environment? I believe it has been proven by several studies to have a negative impact on the watersheds.

2. Do you believe it should be outlawed for use by fishermen and manufacturers? I am still a believer in free enterprise. Smoking is bad for you, but it has not been outlawed.

3. Do you believe it ever will be outlawed? Not in my lifetime.

4. Do you ever buy lead-alternative products, such as Tru-Tungsten, because you believe it is better for the environment? I currently use tungsten sinkers when possible. I do not use them as much for their environmental friendliness, but for the smaller mass and better sensitivity.

 

[JackG]

1. Yes, small weights or jigs could possibly due harm to wildlife, but until tested unsure about the environment.

2. Only the smallest weights, say under 1/2 oz.

3. Unfortunately, you can never tell with the State or Federal govt.

4. Did in the past, but too expensive at present.