Starting in 2019 California has banned all lead shotshells and lead rifle bullets across the entire state. They are the first state to take this measure. Their reasoning was that the Condor was dying from lead poisoning and they linked it to lead bullets. However, there already was a ban on lead bullets in the areas Condors lived and there was no improvement in Condor mortality from lead poisoning. Go here for more on that topic.
Lead is poisonous. That much is indisputable. Lead in paint, leaded gasoline, and lead water pipes have been banned for decades. Lead sinkers, lead shotshells, and lead rifle bullets are poisonous to fish and wildlife, but their impact has been hotly debated over the years. Let’s look at this topic because it is important that we as conservationists, fishermen, and hunters understand this issue because right or wrong we will all be affected by it in the future.
There already has been a lead shotshell ban in waterfowl hunting since the early 90’s. This is a federal ban and the science on this is clear. Lead was poisoning certain species of waterfowl due to how and what they ate. Take a look at this quick read on this subject.
Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Washington, and Massachusetts have bans in place on small lead sinkers. Some are statewide and some are regional, and the laws are different in each state. The intent of these laws are the same, and that is to reduce the Loon mortality due to lead poisoning. There are studies that show lead poisoning is the cause of death in an alarming number of Loons in the New England states. Go here for a detailed look at this issue.
As fishermen and hunters I feel we need to stay ahead of this problem. Hunting especially is suffering from bad press on this issue. Eagles are ingesting lead from improperly discarded woodchucks and from gut piles left behind after harvesting a big game animal. You can read about it here and here. The bad press is only going to continue. Properly discarding game like woodchucks and covering gut piles are essential steps to reducing the contact an eagle or other bird of prey has to these sources of lead.
One last issue I want to discuss is that we as hunters are ingesting lead when we consume the wild game meat at our dinner table. There have been numerous studies conducted on ground venison that show high lead levels in the meat. When a lead bullet impacts a deer at high velocity it breaks into smaller pieces. Some of these pieces are smaller than can be seen by the naked eye and are passed through the processing to the dinner table. There are some organizations who advise against pregnant women and young children from consuming wild game meat harvested using lead ammunition. "Outdoor Life" published an excellent article on this subject you can find here. Here is another good article on the subject.
I am not calling for government intervention by banning all lead in hunting and fishing. In his last day in office President Obama banned all lead ammunition on federal lands. This was a drastic step and it was overturned early in President Trumps term. I do not believe the California ban will have an impact on the death of condors. I do however like the measures the New England states have taken with regards to banning small lead fishing weights. There is ample evidence that small lead shot is harming Loons and by focusing on the specific area that is affecting the Loon population and with the support of local sportsmen this type of effort can make a difference. I also believe more research is needed to determine the health risks of consuming wild game harvested with lead ammunition.
This issue has been around for a long time and it is not going away. Manufacturers have adapted and offer non-toxic alternatives that use steel, tin, bismuth, tungsten, and copper. Technology has helped to improve the performance of these products and they are on par with lead. However, they do cost more money which is a big detractor to their widespread use.
What you ultimately decide to do concerning this topic is a personal choice. I do not know a single outdoors person who wants to intentionally feed their family wild game containing lead. I also do not know anyone who wants to harm non-game animals or be responsible for the death of non-targeted animals in their pursuit of their sport. Unfortunately, it is happening though and what we decide to do about that is important. If we choose to continue to use lead products then we should also choose to take steps to ensure we limit the exposure that non-game species has to that lead. It is that simple. It is a privilege to be able to hunt and fish in this country as freely as we are allowed but with that also comes a responsibility to do it in a manner that does as little harm to our environment as possible.
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