Action alert! Help fight unwarranted bans on lead fishing tackle

The sale and use of lead fishing tackle, including sinkers, jigs and other widely used tackle, is under threat of elimination. The most recent attempt to ban lead tackle nationwide was defeated last November when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) denied a petition to ban lead fishing tackle under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). Despite the EPA’s ruling, this issue is not yet resolved. NMMA is asking the recreational boating industry to voice your support for legislation to definitively protect the right to sustainably fish on the nation’s waterways.

The Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Sports Protection Act, introduced by the chairs of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus — Senators Jon Tester, D-Mont., and John Thune, R-S.D., and Representatives Jeff Miller, R-Fla., and Mike Ross, D-Ark. — will prevent a federal ban on lead in recreational fishing tackle and help to ensure that any future regulations on fishing tackle are established based on scientific data instead of unjustified petitions.

Click here to contact your Members of Congress urging them to co-sponsor S. 838 and H.R. 1558, the Hunting, Fishing and Recreational Shooting Sports Protection Act. Click here for more information on efforts to ban lead in fishing tackle.