4 reasons why lead fishing tackle ban should be opposed

[RoadToad]

I see a lot of percentages referencing that ingestion of lead weights has caused "x" percentage of the deaths of the loons, but what is the percentage of the loon population as a whole that is dying from lead ingestion...???

Yep, excellent question, one I doubt we'll ever be able to answer precisely. But regardless, IF it's true that in some places, a significant percentage of loons (or swans, or whatever) die while they are of breeding age, because of lead poisoning from ingesting lead sinkers, then to me, there's a problem. But to me it should be the biologists in that area, the ones that work for that particular state's department of fish and wildlife, who should have the most to say about whether or not lead sinkers are allowed in this or that lake. To me, it's no different then a size limit, or creel limit, or whether people should be allowed to use barbed hooks or not; it should be up to the local authorities. It might make sense to ban lead sinkers in one lake, but not in another 10 miles away, let alone one on the other side of the country.

Just as a note, we have plenty of loons here on Ky/Barkley and seem to be getting mroe and more every year.

That's good news. But it's important to remember that most, if not all of the loons you see in Kentucky are in the process of migrating. So the fact that you're seeing more and more of them here every year doesn't mean that their population isn't getting smaller and smaller every year at this or that particular place up north where they do most of their breeding. And again, I would say that if the biologists who study those places where the population of certain species is decreasing due to lead poisoning decide they want to ban using lead sinkers IN THOSE PLACES, I have no problem with that.

[Dave Stewart]

Yep, excellent question, one I doubt we'll ever be able to answer precisely. But regardless, IF it's true that in some places, a significant percentage of loons (or swans, or whatever) die while they are of breeding age, because of lead poisoning from ingesting lead sinkers, then to me, there's a problem. But to me it should be the biologists in that area, the ones that work for that particular state's department of fish and wildlife, who should have the most to say about whether or not lead sinkers are allowed in this or that lake. To me, it's no different then a size limit, or creel limit, or whether people should be allowed to use barbed hooks or not; it should be up to the local authorities. It might make sense to ban lead sinkers in one lake, but not in another 10 miles away, let alone one on the other side of the country.


That's good news. But it's important to remember that most, if not all of the loons you see in Kentucky are in the process of migrating. So the fact that you're seeing more and more of them here every year doesn't mean that their population isn't getting smaller and smaller every year at this or that particular place up north where they do most of their breeding. And again, I would say that if the biologists who study those places where the population of certain species is decreasing due to lead poisoning decide they want to ban using lead sinkers IN THOSE PLACES, I have no problem with that.

Someone needs to tell these loons here they should be migrating because we have them year round here now...just like the comorants.