CA planning to ban lead fishing tackle

The California Department of Toxic Substance Control is planning to ban lead fishing tackle. Some of you might have read the article about it in Western Outdoor News. It will be done in the name of Jerry Brown's Green Chemistry Initiative. There is a workshop about it tomorrow(9/25) at the CAL EPA building in Sacramento. There is also an online petition going around. They are only accepting public comment for four weeks ending on October 13th.

Here are some information links:

http://us7.campaign-archive1.com/?u=74a71dca4d68ee8df90688300&id=947cf2c15e&e=379a080666

http://www.latimes.com/local/politics/la-me-cap-fishing-20140922-column.html

I dunno.  On one hand I really like my lead jigheads, on the the other I think about all that lead that's dropped to the bottom every time a salmon gets caught on those release trolling rigs folks use.

One time I used the salmon catch statistics off Fort Bragg, used like a 50% correction factor for folks not using release gear, and factored in shakers to calculate the lead dropped offshore here.  Using 1lb balls it came out to more than 2 tons of lead a year..........and they've been sportfishing off Fort Bragg for 60 years.

It's kind of a hokey analysis, but still, a lot of lead gets dumped in the drink that way.  They should at least make everyone use down-rigggers or Deep Sixes for salmon.

Its way cool how one eagle with " lead poisoning" (can we see the lab results?)  can cause lead to be banned. But the green wind turbines that kill 1-5 eagles each a year  are fine to use and not a problem. WTF? If its green its wonderful - if its used in a gun lets ban it. Thanks Jerry!

Shouldn't the title be, "California conducting research on effect of Lead tackle"?  Or would that sell less newspapers and clicks.

I'm with Dave on this but remember that downriggers use lead balls too.

If this is implemented they will need to have a way to recycle the millions of tons of dangerous lead through out California.

While they are at it....just ban lead acid batteries.

Shouldn't the title be, "California conducting research on effect of Lead tackle"?  Or would that sell less newspapers and clicks.

+1

Shouldn't the title be, "California conducting research on effect of Lead tackle"?  Or would that sell less newspapers and clicks.

+1

If I've learned anything about the CA government process related to fishing regulation, it is that these studies are entirely pretextual.  They already know what the study will say and what it will recommend.  The title is fair.

It's no mystery that a study of whether it's a good idea to continue dumping thousands of pounds of lead on the ocean floor each year will conclude that it isn't...

Somehow I got coaxed into another "politically charged" thread. Crap...

It's no mystery that a study of whether it's a good idea to continue dumping thousands of pounds of lead on the ocean floor each year will conclude that it isn't...

Somehow I got coaxed into another "politically charged" thread. Crap...

The main problem is the perception that antifishing interests will not stop until fishing is completely banned.  The perception seems well founded.  So even if I think that split shots and tons of littered lead are actually an environmental concern with reasonable solutions, I'll be damned if I'm giving an inch.

It would be nice if cooler heads prevailed, but that is not the atmosphere we live in.

They can pry my dive belt from my cold, dead hands.

 

Sincerely,

Jim

It's no mystery that a study of whether it's a good idea to continue dumping thousands of pounds of lead on the ocean floor each year will conclude that it isn't...

Somehow I got coaxed into another "politically charged" thread. Crap...

The main problem is the perception that antifishing interests will not stop until fishing is completely banned.  The perception seems well founded.  So even if I think that split shots and tons of littered lead are actually an environmental concern with reasonable solutions, I'll be damned if I'm giving an inch.

It would be nice if cooler heads prevailed, but that is not the atmosphere we live in.

Two opposing sides who'd both be damned if they're giving an inch... Why does this sound so familiar?

There are alternatives for lead weights, however there are very few alternatives for castable materials to make items such as jig heads, irons, etc... 

As much as it would stir things up for salmon fishermen along the California coast (myself included), I think it would make complete sense to ban INTENTIONAL releases of lead.

Come to think of it, it's already illegal to intentionally dump lead (littering laws, RCRA, etc). We've just been "lucky" the EPA has turned a blind eye on this for so many decades.

If the really wanted to make a difference then ban coal burning globally but that would drive energy prices higher.

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/28/science/la-sci-sn-mercury-fingerprint-fish-20130827

I wonder how much a dozen jig heads ranging from 3-12 oz in tungsten would cost[emoji1]