Closer to a ban on traditional lead weights.

[Olly]

The bottom line from the Public is ------ we "cruelly" stick hooks in fish ------ for our entertainment.

Then release them to be "tortured" time after time!

Whether we use lead or not it won't change the above attitude!!

See PETA!
"""""Commit to Helping Animals in 2017 – Become a PETA Member!
Will you make a commitment to helping end animal abuse by becoming a PETA member for 2017 today?

Right now, countless animals are suffering terribly on factory farms, in abattoirs, on fur farms or in traps, in laboratories and even for the sake of human entertainment. Your membership gift today will strengthen all our life-saving work for animals.

Please become a PETA member today and help us win victories for animals in 2017 and beyond!""""""

In Germany if you catch it - kill it. Someways quite sensible after all we shoot animals to kill and eat.

[JAA]

The bottom line from the Public is ------ we "cruelly" stick hooks in fish ------ for our entertainment.

Then release them to be "tortured" time after time!

Whether we use lead or not it won't change the above attitude!!

See PETA!
Commit to Helping Animals in 2017 – Become a PETA Member!
Will you make a commitment to helping end animal abuse by becoming a PETA member for 2017 today?

Right now, countless animals are suffering terribly on factory farms, in abattoirs, on fur farms or in traps, in laboratories and even for the sake of human entertainment. Your membership gift today will strengthen all our life-saving work for animals.

Please become a PETA member today and help us win victories for animals in 2017 and beyond!

In Germany if you catch it - kill it. Someways quite sensible after all we shoot animals to kill and eat.

You've nicely illustrated angling's biggest issue, which is that most anglers seem to care more about their own sport and their own opinion, than the whole sport and public opinion of it.

As I've said before no-one else cares what we think. Even the most well-known angler is less well known than last years X-Factor quarter finalists.

The future of angling is going to be based on public opinion, not angler's opinions (or PETA's come to that). That's it. End of. And if the public think lead is bad, we might perhaps consider not using it for our own and our fellows benefit.

[Northern Eel]

The phrase "Death by a thousand cuts" springs to mind with this debate, lead or no lead there is a bigger issue regarding angling or fishing, as previously mentioned the general public don't care about anglers and their rights or opinions in the same way that I couldn't care less about golfers or ballet dancers!
The world is changing, social media & the internet are now having an impact on "real life" I'm sure we can all recall numerous tales of how something happened on facebook etc and it had real world repercussions. Angling is not immune from the changes, the various facebook groups and the many (often daily) disagreements over unhooking mats etc are proof of this. Social media has a way of bringing like minded people together and that also applies to the anti's so we all need to be careful.
In the past, as we all know, anglers would catch a fish, take a quick photo return the fish and that would be the end of it, not so anymore, photo's of captures are now being shared far and wide on social media and this in turn brings them to the attention of people who would not have normally come into contact with such images, before I quit facebook I had comments made by ignorant people such as returning a Tench was "Cruel" and that I should not have been fishing for it if I "Didn't intend to eat it" I have been fishing for 30 years and I had never heard comments like this before.
There is always a vocal "minority" who love to complain, these are often the same people that are outraged by everything they see, as we have seen recently in various votes in our country and abroad (I won't go into it any further as such topics are not up for discussion here) these people are firmly in the minority and often shout so loud that they believe they speak for everyone, luckily, this is not the case.
I will continue to use lead as I have always done, if they ban it, I will use something else, we will find a way as there is always an answer but anglers need to be aware that they cannot take their right to be able to fish with a rod & line for granted and the less fuss we cause all the better, we are well represented by various bodies but we do need to change with the times and remember that although we may consider ourselves to be thoughtful, careful & considerate anglers, there are many who are not and these people give us all a bad reputation, I have seen this with my own eyes in my local area over the past few years.

[GhyllManor]

Blasting in lead shot from a gun cartridge is still perfectly fine though.

Not over water, not for wildfowling either!!

[Kevin]

Keep up, read all the thread

[Nigel Rainton]

I only use split shot when I take my Grandchildren fishing, other times I freeline or use plastic ledger stops. I can't buy lead split shot in my local tackle shops, they don't sell it.

I used feeders on the Wye this summer, I don't know if they contained lead weights. Swans can't eat feeders. My conscience is completely clear.

When someone, particularly the Government, tells me I can't do something I want to know why. I comply with the law but my scientific training requires an explanation and evidence. I think that's reasonable.

[Rod]

I only use split shot when I take my Grandchildren fishing, other times I freeline or use plastic ledger stops. I can't buy lead split shot in my local tackle shops, they don't sell it.

I used feeders on the Wye this summer, I don't know if they contained lead weights. Swans can't eat feeders. My conscience is completely clear.

When someone, particularly the Government, tells me I can't do something I want to know why. I comply with the law but my scientific training requires an explanation and evidence. I think that's reasonable.

Unfortunately, people like PETA and the RSPB, dont rely on scientific evidence, unless it upholds their mantra, but they do rely on the old political trick of, the bigger the lie, the easier to fool the populace, and to be fair, when most ordinary people have excepted their version, it's almost impossible to refute their allegations, true or not. I dont say what lead does or doesn't do, I'm saying we cant afford to allow these activists to get a foot in the door, we must therefore do something about replacing lead. There was a BBC program about this issue some time back, where they interviewed a spokes person from PETA, alleging that swans were dying on a particular stretch of water, owing to anglers weights, no anglers were asked for their opinion and as far as the BBC was concerned it was a done thing. It was later found out, that lead sheeting on a bridge was crumbling into the river, in quite large quantities, and scientific evidence prooved it had nothing to do with our sport. I among quite a few others, made official complaints to the said BBC, who in their reply to me and others, regretted not researching the matter in more depth, but no retraction was made on air, so the huge amount of people who watched that total fabrication, will now be sure it's us who are poisoning those lovely swans.
So sometimes we have to ignore the scientific evidence and just play them at their own game, to protect the sport of angling as a whole. The sad thing is I agree with both you and TAA, you both have valid arguments, but I think you both are missing the point, we really have no choice but to do some thing about the issue, but what, an outright ban would be the politically correct thing, but also a phasing out would at least be seen as step in the right direction.
I honestly think this thread has run it's course, as we will never really agree on what to do, so this is my final word on this.

[Shaun Harrison]

The thread has gone off on a tangent anyway. some seem to be defending their right to use lead shot yet it has been unavailable in the angling trade larger than a size 6 since the ban in 1986 - yes it is now 30 years ago since we were able to purchase split lead shot legally in the U.K. or any lead between size 8 and 1 oz for that matter.

It was decided pre 1986 that leads over an ounce were not an issue for swans which the original lead ban had been introduced to protect after their numbers appeared to be dwindling on the river counts they were doing. Funnily enough with more and more gravel pits appearing, they never bothered to count the swans on those which had escaped the boat ridden (lead fuel polluted) rivers for the peace and tranquility of a still water.

So, it's 30 years since anglers were forced to stop using lead shot yet we still get the blame for problems regarding lead despite being one of the first to clean our act up.

It's a funny old world.

[GhyllManor]

Keep up, read all the thread

I was stating the facts, best stick to them, emotive and/or inaccurate quotes do nothing for the serious problems faced by angling.

[JAA]

....we really have no choice but to do some thing about the issue, but what, an outright ban would be the politically correct thing, but also a phasing out would at least be seen as step in the right direction.
I honestly think this thread has run it's course, as we will never really agree on what to do, so this is my final word on this.

^this^