Last-Minute Lead Tackle Ban Shocks Angling Community
Coastal Conservation Association is joining partners in the recreational angling, boating and tackle community to call on new leadership at the Service to rescind Order No. 219 and work to develop instead a science-driven policy with input from stakeholders.
“This is clearly not the way to make policy, particularly where the cost of implementing such a policy stands to be significant and the benefits are not clearly defined,” said Bill Bird, chairman of CCA’s National Government Relations Committee. “Banning lead tackle would increase the cost of fishing and reduce funds available for fisheries conservation and habitat restoration. This is a hasty and unnecessary proclamation that must be reversed in order to make a better-informed decision.”
“In the limited instances where lead fishing tackle is demonstrated to harm local wildlife populations, the sportfishing industry supports actions to minimize or eliminate these impacts,” said Scott Gudes, vice president of Government Affairs for the American Sportfishing Association. “However, unnecessary and sweeping bans such as this Director’s Order will do nothing to benefit wildlife populations and instead will penalize the nation’s 46 million anglers and hurt recreational fishing-dependent jobs.”
