I know, everyone is probably sick and tired of this lead ban discussion. The thing is, it’s a pretty important topic right now, and it bears our constant attention. With the recent action by the National Park Service to work toward an all-out lead ban for sportsmen by 2010, we’re poised at a teetering point for both hunters and fishermen. If this ban goes through, you can count on similar actions by other federal agencies, including BLM and National Forest Service.
But we also need to keep a perspective. This isn’t just about hunting or gun-bans, because the biggest victims in the NPS action will be fishermen. Sportsmen need to be a united community, hunters and fishermen, and we need to approach this kind of action as a whole… not as disparate voices who don’t appear to care about the “others”.
With that in mind, until today, I haven’t heard a lot about the fishing tackle aspect of this ban. Most of the discussions in the hunting community have been the same accusations of a “backdoor gun ban”, and little else. However, it now looks like the American Sportfishing Association and others are getting it together:
Alexandria, VA – March 13, 2009 – The American Sportfishing Association (ASA), along with a number of fish and wildlife management conservation groups, is asking the National Park Service (NPS) to reconsider its ban on the use of fishing tackle made with lead components in national parks by 2010.
“The sportfishing industry is surprised and dismayed by the March 10 announcement made by the National Park Service,” said ASA Vice President Gordon Robertson. “Their intention to eliminate the use of lead in fishing tackle in national parks was made without prior consultation of the sportfishing industry or the millions of recreational anglers who fish within the national park system.”
The ASA press release says the key issue that organization has with the ruling is that there was no collaboration with sporting organizations prior to announcing the decision. This conflicts with the Obama administration’s recent order that the federal government must be transparent and collaborative in policy-making decisions.
Another call that is resounding loudly is for the NPS to offer a scientifically supported justification for the ban.
I believe this is a reasonable approach, and it’s one that we should echo. We should challenge regulations on their scientific merit. Let’s not get too wrapped up in finger-pointing and name-calling, or stuck in the rut of blaming the anti-hunters and “gun-grabbers”. Of course they are involved, but pointing out the obvious doesn’t get us any closer to resolution.
Related Posts
- Lead Ban Chronicles – A Bombshell from the National Park Service
- Lead Ban Chronicles – USSA Calls on Sportsmen to Resist NPS Lead Ban
- Hog Hunting Organizations and Membership
- Lead Ban Chronicles – The Beehive State Now the Focus of Lead Ammo Ban Efforts
- Lead Ban Chronicles – CA DFG Considers Lead Ban Expansion?
Once I read about this ban, my first thought was about anglers. I’m glad to see that they were paying attention too, and are trying to work towards a resolution.
If the ban does eventually filter into the National Forest Service, it is going to effect me directly as well.
I think all of us should be pulling together on this one, because, quite frankly, I’m sick of the “me” mentality.