Lead-free tackle needed

Dear editor:
My prediction about lead poisoning in our lakes came true prior to the claims by environmental groups that lead shot gun pellets was killing off our waterfowl.
I sent my submission to the newspaper as well as the Ministry of Natural Resources in Ontario and the Department of Natural Resources over in Minnesota on the lead poisoning of our fisheries.
In the early ’90s, lead pellets were outlawed in favour of non-toxic material—but that was of no concern to our fisheries.
It seems now that the lead poisoning is killing off our loons and, as reported by Minnesota radio stations, that 80 percent of the deaths are caused by the lead toxic in their state alone. As such, they are considering prohibiting all lead substances in fishing equipment.
During the past decade, lead toxicity has led to steady calls from scientists, environmental groups, and animal rights activists to ban its use in fishing products.
They already have been successful at having lead shot banned for waterfowl, now politicians on both sides of the border have heard the noise about lead fishing products.
This issue was debated in the House of Commons as well as by our MNR.
The potential for a lead fishing product ban is real and the industry is anticipating it. Northland, one of North America’s leading jig producers, is fully aware of this—and is taking steps to prepare for the change.
In the U.S., concerns over the effect lead fishing tackle is having on loons led Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New York, Wisconsin, and Minnesota to discuss action while overseas, Great Britain and Denmark already have banned it.
In Canada, the federal government banned the use of lead fishing sinkers and jigs in national wildlife areas and parks in 1997.
On its Web site, Fish Lead-Free Environment states that 5.5 million people fish in Canada every year, with an estimated 500 tonnes of lead in the form of jigs and sinkers that are lost every year. As such, a staggering amount of lead adorns the bottom of our lakes, rivers, and streams.
These concerns are widespread in parts of North America, Great Britain, and Europe, but not everyone, however, is convinced lead poisoning is a problem in Ontario.
Greg Farrant, government relation manager of the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH), says they are against the ban on lead tackle—the only ones so far who feel differently about this matter.
At one time, I believed the pelicans and cormorants were responsible for our Northern Pike decline, which, instead, could possibly be from the usage of lead material as well.
In my 56 years living and working in this environment, I have seen countless dead sea gulls. I’ve related this to the MNR but nothing was done to diagnose the reason.
Signed,
Michael J. Baranowski
Nestor Falls, Ont.
P.S. By the way, I have just learned that to keep the cormorant numbers down from its vast population increase, they are spraying the eggs, which supposedly suffocates the embryo.
Another step in the right direction to save our fisheries!