Angling Takes Another Hit

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Paul Kendall

Guest
BBC Midlands tonight ran a story blaming anglers for the lead poisoning of swans in the midlands.

They claimed that during the foot & mouth crisis there were a minimal number of cases but since restrictions have been lifted and anglers are back on the banks the number of poisoned swan cases has risen dramatically.

Did anyone else happen to see this news story ?
 
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Mark Frame

Guest
I wish these prats would get their stories straight did you think of ringing the bbc complaining and putting the story straight
 
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Kevan Farmer

Guest
I saw it on the dinnertime slot. If I could find a telephone number for them I would call them and ask for a retraction. I'll check the BBC website out.

They showed shot in sizes that you cannot get in lead anymore.
 
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Kevan Farmer

Guest
Ok, I've e-mailed them and asked for some form of retraction in tomorrows news broadcast. I have also requested that in future they give a more balanced report.
The telephone number if anybody is interested is: 0121 432 8888 the e-mail address is: midlands.today@bbc.co.uk

Don't know if it will work but we've got to try.

Kevan
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
Could someone enlighten me as to the shot sizes you cannot get in lead? Sorry to sound so un-informed but I was living in another country when the whole lead shot debacle took place.

Could there have been a clay pigeon shooting club near this waterway?

I used to fish a stretch of Warks Avon very close the where a club used to blast away at clays (No not me) every Sunday morning. Much of the shot landed in the river! I was showered with shot on several occasions.
 
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Rodney Wrestt

Guest
Size 8 split shot and higher (smaller) is legal as these smaller pieces are the only split shot made legaly of lead, the larger sizes of shot are a lead substitute, (although a well known angler was reported in the angling press last season while doing a feature with an E.A. chap for some program or other the man from the E.A. noticed the angler was using illeagal shot. The angler had just returned from Ireland and had purchased some bits and bobs and inadvertantly purchased lead so it is best to keep this in mind when returning from a fishing holiday that the rules only apply in England & Wales.) and leger weights over 1 oz ( over 28grms not including) are legaly made of lead lead. I fail to see how the wildlife would suddenly be struck by lead poisening in such a short space of time I thought it was a progressive illness, Also why does no one ever sugest the fuel from the boats as a possible reason for the influx of toxins?/ :-}~
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Correct me if I am wrong, but lead poisoning is a long term thing. It does not affect the body instantly. This means that there most certainly would not be an instant rise in deaths....even if lead shot were still used.


This sounds to me like a PETA or similar orgainisation stirring things.
 
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Ron Clay

Guest
As we make filters that take lead out of water I can assure you Rob you are right. Lead poisoning is a very slow process indeed.

The BBC in my opinion would broadcast a report like that. They have a number of Anti-anglers on the staff as well as on the board.
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Ron, I have written a strong letter of complaint to them regarding this matter. I also pointed out that infact the biggest killer of water birds is the wash from motorboats (swamping nests etc), and that the deaths involved coincide with a sudden upsurge in boat traffic! (Summer and end of navigation restrictions)

I also pointed out lead is banned and unavailabe...and has been for many years.

I am sick and tired of anglers being treated as dirt. Who is it that has fought to get the rivers cleaned up...who is it that reports most pollution incidents..etc etc
 
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Chris Bishop

Guest
Anti-fouling paint and diesel oil don't do bvirds a lot of good either.

They had the swan upping on the Thames a couple of weeks back. They found the highest number of swans ever.
 
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Rodney Wrestt

Guest
I wonder how much shot is in deposited into the river systems by the cartridges used in a clay pigion shoot, also what size is the pieces of lead. They might even find the size is more in common with the cause of ill health in wildlife than the common size of shot an angler uses. But then the easiest way to tell the differance is that when a bird dies of lead poisoning, extract the lead and examine it only the shot used in fishing has a slot in it hence the name split shot if there is no slot it wasn't anglers. :-}~
 
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Rob Brownfield

Guest
Having seen some of the "anglers" shot removed from a swan up here in scotland, I can tell u for a fact, every one was from a shot gun. How do I know. No split it it, and the swan came from a fly fishing only fishery. Whats more, the blame was put squarely on the anglers shoulders!!
 
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Rodney Wrestt

Guest
I have seen the rescue programs on t.v. (before banning them from my house) and as soon as they go anywhere near water the commentary turns to anglers line & lead weights, even if the distressed animal has a fox hanging onto it's neck or has been struck by a boat or car.:-}~
 
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Steve Muir

Guest
Lead poisoning in humans may not show any symptoms for some time but in swans
and other wildfowl it can cause death within two days to three weeks depending on
the amount of lead ingested. Mortality can take the form of large scale die offs or it
may be one or two birds over a period of months.Anglers are automaticly blamed for
the death of any swan by lead poisoning but it's more likely that shotgun pellets are
the cause as wildfowl and duck shooters firing over water are depositing over two
hundred lead shot into the water per cartridge. In the shooters defence they now have
a lead ban in place although not all are following it (1000 fine)

Regards Steve
 
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Rodney Wrestt

Guest
If a cartridge holds that amount of lead and say for talking sake 10 guns with a dozen cartridges each, two shoots per weekend. That's 192000 pieces of shot a month of coarse not all that lands in the water but even 1 cartridge load is more than I've lost in many years of fishing, I reuse the rigs and only use small amouts on each rig so a snap up would take 6 pices at most and usualy it's the hook length that snaps so no shot is lost. makes you think eh? :-}~
 
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Kevan Farmer

Guest
I have ben saying this about shooters lead shot for years. Unfortunately it does seem to have always fallen on deaf ears. I too have been at fisheries which also have a shooting area to go with them. The amount of times I have been rained upon by lead shot is nobody's business. The amount of shot discharged from a single shotgun cartridge is quite possibly equivalent to or greater than the whole amount lost by an angler in a single lifetime.

The organisation moaning about lead shot this time was called Swan Rescue. They have been on tv many times in the past and have been challenged about their claims on numerous occasions. They do not or will not listen to reason. They do however have a legitimate gripe about the ongoing problem of discarded line. But, again, this is sometimes unavoidable if the angler has been unfortuante enough to get snagged in an overhanging bush etc.

Out of interest, I never did receive any sort of reply from the BBC. I shall be writing again over the weekend, maybe by badgering them it will do some good. We can but try.

Kevan
 
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Steve Muir

Guest
Rodney/Kevan

For your info on how much lead is used in shooting (not by everyone)

Ten years ago when i was shooting clays in competition i was using
a thousand cartridges a week just in practice each weighing one ounce.
(Not over water ) Hunting cartridges go to about one and a half ounces.

Controling wood pigeons shooting over farm land you might use between
10 and 50 some times more.
Last year whilst fishing i watched a duck shoot over gravel pits and river (Kennet)
with over 50 shots fired.
Regards Steve
 
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Rodney Wrestt

Guest
Wow, and I thought I might be pushing it by saying each of the shooters used a dozen cartridges when working out the amount of shot deposited. It's beyond comprehension how anglers can be accused of this, does no one listen to the facts. Even though angling weights have been substituting lead for decades the media and furry friends constantly point the finger in the wrong direction. :-{~
 
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Phil Hackett

Guest
Evidence,evidence,evidence BBC middlands!!!!
Where is your evidence please!
 
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