The EPA rejected another petition to ban lead in fishing tackle because of its impacts on waterfowl. The EPA basically rejected this petition on the same grounds it rejected an earlier petition in November of 2010. Basically it said there was not enough unreasonable risk to waterfowl from lead tackle to warrant influence from which federal action is required to adequately protect against these risks.
The Center for Biological Diversity headed up this petition. Last time it was the American Bird Conservancy. These won’t be the last petitions. While many of us as anglers are seeking better alternatives like Tungsten, a wide sweeping, half-cocked ban of all lead would have a huge negative impact on fishing for many anglers and manufacturers alike. It would affect license sales and manufacturing costs. All angles need to be considered as we move forward with a search for alternatives. Several alternatives have become available but their size and lack of density don’t make them viable options yet.
Most of us in the industry are glad the EPA isn’t making knee-jerk reactions to these claims. Anglers and hunters have proven to be much better stewards of the lands and waters than people who don’t enjoy the resources on a regular basis and license sales go to protect fisheries more than efforts to ban materials.
