Getting The Lead Out

Lead v. Steel

Banning Lead Fishing Weights

by Ronald Borst

February 22, 2014

Fishing might be the world's most popular sport. From loners to families, jocks to nerds, young and old, everybody seems to go fishing at one time or another.

Terminal tackle, the throw-away kind, dominates the industry. Imagine, all that lead and metal at the bottom of waters. And you know what they say, “All waters run to the sea.”

Tufts University, when commenting about wildlife and tackle, said, “Of some 1500 loons examined, over forty percent tested positive for lead toxicity. All of the ingested lead, found in loon bellies, were fishing weights.”(Tufts, “Loon Health and Mortality”)

Is there a way to limit some of the negative impact of terminal tackle? I believe so. But it is going to take some pride-swallowing and some concession. It's a give and take world, and we just jumped in, feet first of course, as fishermen are prone to do.

The most visible start to a more responsible and ethical fishing practice, is the arena that has the most lead. Weights and sinkers, in fishing terms, are what they seem, weights designed to fish comparatively deep. Fishermen will tell you, “The bottom ain't a sandy flat,” and that means that much gear is lost while targeting that one to two foot zone at the bottom of waters.(Borst interview)
 

The overwhelming majority of sinkers for this bottom fishing, comes in the form of lead. From lead cast bullet weights to spools of “pencil lead,” the dangerous metal is everywhere. In my experience, on Oregon lakes and streams, it is that almost 100 percent of fishing weight is lead. Nobody is fishing with steel sinkers.

More options are available and viable. Tungsten, tin, and brass have been used for years. On Green Tackle's website, 17 different kinds of steel fishing weight is offered.(greentackle.com) Copper and bismuth are also available for fishing use.

States that limit the use of lead fishing weights are Vermont, New York, Maine, and New Hampshire. A measure in Washington state failed in 2010. Many of the arguments against lead bans are about costs. And costs there are, as tungsten is expensive to make and cumbersome to purchase, considering its expensive nature. Lead is just cheaper, has been the most vocal argument.

The health risks associated with above-normal exposures to lead are well documented and somewhat scary. The Environmental Protection Agency(EPA), Field & Stream magazine, sportfishing councils, animal biologists, and fisherman, all agree on the extent of health risks associated with even low-level exposure. But not much has happened in the fishing industry, in regard to curbing the use of lead. Why?

In Montana, when lead bans were first proposed in the hunting regulations, sportsmen balked. Vocal response was overwhelming: Montana voters, most of whom are hunters, did not want any ban on lead.(Merwin, F&S)

The reasons were not only expensive production and costly steel products, but also “poorer performing products." Outdoor sportsman, outfitter, and guide, Jack King said, “It(steel) just doesn't knock 'em down like lead.”(Borst interview)

But fishing applications are different, and so I asked, “Does lead act differently in the water?” The response was mostly no, and some even said that lead and steel sunk similarly, but steel was more “responsive.” Local bass fisherman, Jeremy Landtroop said, “Steel tells me exactly what the structure is. Lead just tells me something is there.”

According to the American Sportfishing Association(ASA), “Insufficient data prevents us from concluding that a lead ban would be at all effective in combating waterfowl exposure to lead.” The ASA went on to state that although “loons have been affected adversely by lead, statistics regarding loon populations is susceptible to extreme fluctuations.” (ASA website)

However, the ASA is correct in saying that waterfowl populations face much more devastating effects from loss of habitat and lack of quality water. Improvements in these areas is needed. But lead is a problem, no matter the “priority.” So where is our middle ground? It may be in the water itself.

Studies involving lead and its effects on waters and wildlife, point to an alarming trend. As science gets better at what it does, more access to ocean floors and river bottoms have come available. And they are telling a similar story to one of loons with high levels of lead poisoning. In studies funded by the National Institutes of Health(NIH), thresholds of lead poisoning in marine animals were found to be lower than thought, while the effects are showing as much worse. Studies also found that smaller creatures were more susceptible to lead poisonings, possibly due to easier access.(NIH, nih.gov)

Fishing with lead weight is not the only use for lead. Construction supplies, paint, pipes, and pencils, have all been made of lead at one time or another. A note in many do-it-yourself websites states, “Do not sand old paint, the lead dust particles are breathable and highly toxic.”(NIH, nih.gov) Lead use in toys, has been at the forefront of the consumer industry for twenty years, and still advocates against lead use.

The use of lead in gasoline has been widely outlawed globally, due to its toxicity.

Common sense tells us that lead is unhealthy in almost any environment. Lead safety manuals are specific in how they describe lead handling, including removal(sanding paint, etc.). Warnings about “washing hands after use,” illustrate how mobile the lead is. Fishing tackle has elements of lead that these warnings are about. All of the lead weight involved in salmon and steelhead fishing where I live, is easily transferred to whatever it touches. The lead will transfer to other tackle, the tackle box insides, the riverbank, and your fingers. So much so, that hands will turn grayish black after handling lead for extended periods. Wash your hands indeed. Other “good” habits when handling lead include not putting your hands in your mouth, and keeping lead in sealed containers.

Many other countries, including England and Canada, have banned small, lead fishing weights. The studies that have linked lead poisoning to waterfowl death have conclusively noted these smaller weights in the bellies of birds. Banning these small weights, would be a great first step in the effort to protect wildland birds and waters that we all use.

The cost of this first step, would be relatively easy, although slightly costlier than our current use of lead. Banning lead split-shot, for example, would not be hard on manufacturers, nor would it be so costly as to be non-profitable. Fishermen will pay a bit more for the steel or tungsten, or even tin split-shot.

Education is another part of the first-step. Documenting and exposing the harmful effects of lead, as well as the merits of steel and copper weights, can relieve some of the panic about changing a part of the fishing industry that has been around for hundreds of years.

Second steps take the initial restrictions further, with any “edible” sized lead weight, banned entirely. This would go for all fishing, whether for sport or for money. In the grand scheme, removing lead weights less than two ounces, will eventually cost less to the fisherman and the waterfowl alike.

Less death along waterways and less dent in the fisherman's wallet, are the keys to success. With so many alternatives to lead, like bismuth, copper, and tin, that are cost efficient, gradually changing practices to stem the long-term effects of lead, is in fact a viable alternative to lead.

The best part of a lead compromise, is that it begins a process that ensures wildlife safety, and encourages responsible fishing habits, while simultaneously being inexpensive to sportfishermen. 

Even if lead is not the number one priority when it comes to wildlife conservation, lead is still enough of a problem, that it warrants our immediate attention. Compromises in the use of lead sinkers, can lead to better discussions and solutions about sportfishing's responsibilities to our wildlands and her critters.

The future is now, and the future has less lead in it.

Works Cited:

American Sportfishing Association, website

The National Rifle Association, nraila.org, NRA-ILA, “NRA Victory in Battle With Environmentalists”

The Straight Dope, straightdope.com, “Do lead fishing sinkers threaten the environment?”

EPA, epa.gov, “Humans and Lead Fishing Sinkers”

Field & Stream, fieldandstream.com, “What's The Big Deal About Lead?” by John Merwin

National Institutes of Health, nih.gov, “Toxic Thresholds of Lead and Cadmium”

Tufts University, “Loon Health and Mortality,” tufts.edu

Interviews & personal experience with fishing guides, fishermen, and tackle retailers.

Photos COPYRIGHT Ronald Borst.