The Online Source for Washington Fishing Information

Legislature Considering Banning All Lead Tackle Under 1 oz. HB 2241.

For those of you who do not notice the blogs, and may not have seen Mark Bryne's blog about this bill, please read the blog posts and get involved now!

The Loon advocates promised not to promote this ban if they got the the Fisheries Commission to ban lead on 13 lakes. The ban occurred, and now the Birders are going back on their promise and are pushing for legislation on a total lead ban of 1 oz and below. Jigs, spinnerbaits, dropshot sinkers, all weights, and many lures can be kissed goodbye, and instead of paying 30 cents for a QuickDrop you can pay $1.30 for tungsten. And since Tungsten takes 6,000 degrees of heat to melt you will be responsible for wasting all that energy and creating a huge carbon footprint, you will send all the jobs to China or Japan where it is made. None is made in the USA because the EPA won't allow us to manufacture it in a cost effective manner!

It is pretty sad that Washington State has become even more insane than California.

FYI, this is being pushed by the Audubon Society and PETA. When I earned a BS Degree in Ecology and took ornithology classes, I learned something very interesting about John James Audubon, who the Audubon Society is named after. Audubon documented all the birds of North America, and to do so he killed them all, propped them up with wire, and then painted them. He literally killed thousands and thousands of birds, including many that were endangered even back then! I would contend that more birds were harmed and killed by the mentor of the Audubon Society, than have been killed by lead fishing sinkers! The Birders have offered absolutely no scientific evidence that a problem exists that is worthy of any ban.

This morning at work a Wren flew into my office glass window and died. Really! Do I have to worry that all glass windows will be banned? We all have experienced this same phenomina, yet how many have seen birds perish from lead sinkers? Waterfowl each year are killed in large numbers when trying to land on wet pavement, thinking it is a lake. Guess we had better ban pavement too!

So I ask you, are you going to take back control of your state and its laws, or are you going to let the Audubon Society and PETA do so?

Please get involved before it is too late.

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 18, 2012 at 8:47am

Outstanding, Mike! Thanks for making a difference!

Permalink Reply by BJ Krestian on January 18, 2012 at 12:50pm

Bass fan now has a link to this thread. Maybe it will spark more response.

Banning the sale of recreational lead fishing tackle in Washington by the year 2014 is the stepping stone to banning the use. Have any of the retailers weighed in on this matter? How much tax revenue would be lost, and what would stop people from buying what they need from other states?

Marc is absolutely correct about lead being naturally occurring. And where is the scientific evidence that would even support such a ban?

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 18, 2012 at 1:58pm

OK, the American Sportfishing Association has gone Nationwide on the call for help! Read this and you can easily send a letter in less than a minute using their form:

http://keepamericafishing.salsalabs.com/o/6394/p/dia/action/public/...

Also read their attached testimony for very interesting details and ideas how to word your own letters.

Thanks! Marc Marcantonio

Attachments:

ASACommentsonLeadHB22141-18-12FINAL.pdf, 78 KB

Permalink Reply by BigBass Dez on January 18, 2012 at 1:59pm

I sent my email off today marc , hope it helps the fight bro !!

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 18, 2012 at 2:02pm

Yes, Dez, it will help! Thanks for taking the time and for caring!

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

Permalink Reply by rzone on January 18, 2012 at 2:16pm

Use that link Dez, it don't get any easier than that!

Marc Marcantonio said:

Yes, Dez, it will help! Thanks for taking the time and for caring!

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

Permalink Reply by Don Hogue on January 18, 2012 at 2:23pm

Email(s) sent. Forwarded ASA's link to others to respond to as well. Thanks Marc for your work in organizing this.

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on January 18, 2012 at 2:27pm

Don, you are most welcome; and thank you for forwarding this and taking action!

ciao,

Marc

Permalink Reply by Todd Parker on January 18, 2012 at 4:24pm

I was able to copy and paste and send a note to the whole list.....RE: HB2241 in less than 5 minutes. If everyone does the same we might be heard.

Marc Marcantonio said:

Here is some information to help you get into action:

It is important for everyone to write to the below committee members prior to Thursday morning at 8 a.m. Please let them kow how important it is to you for this bill to die in committee. Be respectful and to the point in your message. Let them know if you live in their district, and also let them know of any fishing or wildlife organizations you belong to or are affiliated with.

If we get people to show up and testify at the Environment Committee Meeting this Thursday morning, Jan 19, at 8:OO a.m. it may kill this bill quickly. I will be there to testify, please join me.

Even if you cannot join me, a simple email to the committee members below will let them know this is important to us fishermen.

Click here for details and info:

http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary ... #documents

Rep Dave Upthegrove (Chairman) Dist.33 (D) dave.upthegrove@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7868

Rep. Jeff Morris (Dist. 40) (D) jeff.morris@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7970

Rep. Shelly Short (Dist. 7) (R) shelly.short@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7908

Rep. Kirk Pearson (Dist.39) (R) kirk.pearson@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7816
Rep. Steve Tharinger (Dist. 24) (D) steve.tharinger@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7904

Rep. Luis Moscoso (Dist. 1) (D) luis.moscoso@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7900

Rep. Paul Harris (Dist. 17) (R) paul.harris@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7976
Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon (Dist. 34) (D) joe.fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7952

Rep. Dean Takko (Dist. 19) (D) dean.takko@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7806

Rep. Larry Crouse (Dist.4) (R) larry.crouse@leg.wa 360 786-7820

Rep. Drew Hansen (Dist. 23 (D) drew.hansen@leg.wa.gov 360 786 7842

Rep. Sharon Wylie (Dist. 49 (D) sharon.wylie@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7924

Rep. Terry Nealey (Dist. 16) (R) terry.nealey@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7828
Rep. Laurie Jinkins (Dist. 27) (D) laurie.jinkins@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7930

Rep. David Taylor (Dist. 15) (R) david.taylor@leg.wa.gov 360 786-7874
Rep. Gerry Pollet (Dist 46) (D) pollet.gerry@leg.wa.gov 360- 786-7886

Rep. Matt Shea (Dist 4) (R) shea.matt@leg.wa.gov 360-786-7984

Please post this information on other web sites, facebook, twitter, etc.

ciao,
Marc Marcantonio

Permalink Reply by Todd Parker on January 18, 2012 at 4:59pm

Copy and paste, send to the list of legislators.....it took less than 5 minutes, and within 15 minutes I received responses from 3 on the list, all opposed to this bill. That felt damn good!!!

A ban on the most popular fishing tackle, including sinkers and weighted hooks containing lead, will have a significant negative impact on recreational anglers and fisheries resources in Washington, but a negligible impact on the loon populations that it seeks to protect. Such a ban is not necessary and is not supported by sound science.

Permalink Reply by rzone on January 18, 2012 at 5:13pm

Easier to use this link:

http://keepamericafishing.salsalabs.com/o/6394/p/dia/action/public/...

You can paste your message in there, I know it works, used it today and one Rep already replied to me.

Permalink Reply by Tory Weigel on January 18, 2012 at 5:19pm