Get the Lead Out? The EPA Says no to Interest Groups Wanting to Ban Lead

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently turned down a request by environmentalists to ban the use of all lead in fishing tackle and ammunition.  The claim was that lead left behind by sportsmen (and sportswomen) was leading to an unacceptable level of death to wildlife.  Here are a few links to the story — StarTribune, CBSNEWS, EPA.

This debate has been going on for some time.  Small game and bird hunters are well aware of prohibitions on using lead shot in protected wetlands and wildlife production areas.  Many hunters don’t even bother carrying lead anymore for fear of unknowingly approaching a protected area — and it is illegal even to carry the lead shells on you in those protected field areas, regardless of whether they are loaded in your gun.  Hunters will tell you that the stopping power of lead over steel cannot be overstated, and that is why it is the preferred choice.

For fishing, lead simply provides the perfect split shot set-up.  Small, heavy, less likely to be a distraction to a lunker, and down the hole it goes. And lead is a lot cheaper than steel — ask anyone buying ammunition lately.  Prediction?  It won’t be long until you won’t be able to use lead anymore.  It just seems like the trend.