Bill to ban lead fishing sinkers draws strong opposition
HARTFORD -- The state Department of Environmental Protection joined state sportsmen and fishing tackle retailers Monday in opposing legislation that would ban the sale and use of lead sinkers and jigs by October 2012.
Fines would range between $500 and $5,000, with the possibility of a year in prison for violators.
The legislation, introduced by Sen. Ed Meyer, D-Guilford, co-chairman of the Environment Committee, is aimed at removing lead from the environment, particularly in bodies of water where it may affect bottom-feeding fish and waterfowl.
But the DEP, the Coalition of Connecticut Sportsmen and the retailers said if enacted into law, the bill would drive up the cost of fishing tackle and address a problem of lead contamination that doesn't exist in the state because most waterfowl do not dive deep enough to ingest lead.
Pat Abate, owner of Rivers End Tackle in Old Saybrook, said in an interview that lead is inexpensive, moldable and time-honored in weighing down fishing lines and lures, depending on the type of fish being pursued.
"It's been widely used in fishing tackle and while there is an alternative in very light weights, there's no alternative in heaviest weights," said Abate as he awaited his spot in an afternoon-long hearing on 14 separate bills before the committee.
He said that in salt water, weights vary from an ounce to 24 ounces.
"There doesn't seem to be any scientific basis for it as far as what harm it does to birds in the state of Connecticut," Abate said.
"There's never been a study on what it does," said Matt Hillyer, owners of Hillyer's Tackle Shop in Waterford. "To just come out with a bill without knowing what you're dealing with first, you shouldn't just throw out bills because they sound good."
The bill, which was the subject of a public hearing Monday in the legislative Environment Committee, would affect weights of an ounce or less and also prohibit the use of the toxic metal in the use of balancing the tires of motor vehicles, with possible fines, through the state Department of Consumer Protection, of up to $25,000.
Amey W. Marrella, commissioner of the DEP, said in prepared testimony that the documented toxicity of lead understandably led to the introduction of the legislation.
"However, we are not aware of any evidence suggesting that lead in fishing tackle has an effect on the population level of any species of fish or wildlife in our state," she said.
"This includes various bird species, such as loons and eagles, for which lead- related mortalities have been documented elsewhere," Marrella said. "While alternative materials exist for manufacturing fishing sinkers and jigs, they are more costly, some significantly more so, than those made of lead. As such, an outright ban on the sale and use of lead sinkers and jigs would represent an unreasonable burden to the citizens and fishing related businesses of Connecticut."
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