Swans Still Being Lead Poisoned

R

Rob Brownfield

Guest
Excuse me if I am wrong here, but I have not seen lead shot in tackle shops for 20 years! How can it be that there are "hot spots" were anglers are "ignoring the ban on larger lead shot"! I honestly cannot for one minute believe that!

It would mean significant numbers of anglers using lead...where are they getting it from..not the UK, thats for sure.

Maybe there are shooters near by????..maybe its shot that has been in the sediment for years and years and its recently been washed into the open with flooding.....but I cant see it being anglers using lead...

What do you guys think?
 
R

Richard Drayson

Guest
I'm surprised that nobody seems to have asked whether these lead shot have 'splits' in them. Somebody must know!
If they don't, then they're obviously not the type that anglers use.
 
C

Craig Smith

Guest
I would have to agree that most of the lead poisoning is probably caused by shot gun 'buck shot'. I don't know what the shot restrictions are in Europe it might be that people are buying shot when in mainland europe which is lead? (correct me if i'm wrong!)I've been told you can buy tackle in french hypermarket's.
 
M

Mike Parker

Guest
As has been said in other articles there a a few centuries of lead shot still remaining but how these swans manage to mine so deeply into the bottom silt and gravel heaven only knows.
The point being is, that once we realised that there was aproblem we did something about it. we anglers are being pilloried for the acts of our fore-fathers.
I dont believe that it is anglers old shot that is causing the problem today, but what the heck, why should the likes of the RSPCA spoil a good TV sob story with the facts and the truth?
 
R

Rodney Wrestt

Guest
Ohhhhh Paul, you are naughty......but it made me smile.

I think the lead that has been lying on the bottom are mostly splitless and as usual we take the blame 'cause we always have, easy targets (excuse the pun).
 
K

Kevan Farmer

Guest
Please guys, rattle an e-mail off to the person who authored the article at the EA. They are quick enough to take our license fee so they should be equally as quick to listen to what we have to say. I'm doing what I can. I've mailed the author and I've also been in touch with the editorial team of my local paper - they ran this story too. There is an e-mail address on the EA page and it's just as easy moaning on there - at source - as it is on here where we are all agreed.
In fact to encourage this, here's the authors e-mail address:

brent.hooley@environment-agency.gov.uk

Go on guys, stand up and be counted.

Kevan
 
J

John Pleasance

Guest
There's too many of the damned things anyway.

They were known to be on the increase when we were conned into banning lead shot all those years ago.

If they are still picking up lead shot I would think it's almost certainly from shotgun cartridges. There is a clay shoot once a month on one estate that I fish. Sometimes I forget that it's on and end up fishing there on the same day,once they start it is impossible to count up to four between shots and that goes on for hours,how much lead shot does that amount to?

There are duck shoots on both the Avon and the Stour regularly in the winter time and obviously most of this takes place along the edge of the river where the ducks are.Where does the surplus lead shot finish up?

Now you never get those nice cormorants pestering you for food, swimming through your line or swallowing lead shot do you?
 
C

Craig Smith

Guest
Kevan,
I've rattled off an e-mail to Brent with various comment's and idea's. Every little helps!
 
M

Michael Hall

Guest
I`m not sure but shot under a certain weight can still be made from lead! But the other thing is that I have found only lead shot in used tackle deals as well as in my dads old box as he doesn't use it anymore however there is still I beleive alot of lead shotting in our boxes so if u find it bin it like I did this morning with my dads! As for the 'buck shot' this could be the case however we cannot exclude careless anglers who I have to say are still the majority of us leave line and lead shot on the bank still! (I must say that I dont leave line) mainly because of my dads good upbringing regarding litter and esspecially litter on banks! This litter must stop! Otherwise the anti's will have another go!
 
C

Clive Evans

Guest
I've been informed by a friend ,who is a gun-club member as well as keen fisherman, that lead shot in cartridges has also been banned for nearly three years now. I have not verified this, but he should know and I have no reason to disbelieve him.
I havent seen the relevant article but it seems that a much deeper investigation of this poisoning is very much needed.
 
S

Steve Baker

Guest
Do a search on this site as this is a reocuring theme. Aparrently they can tell the difference as buch shot crumbles in the gut of the swan but lead shot (ours) stays whole proving to me that buck shot is more dangerous as it is broken down in the gut of the swan.

I could have a rant about the bloody public idiots that feed them but that would be pointless!
 
K

Kevan Farmer

Guest
Michael mentioned old lead shot being found in tackle sales. I guess you mean things like boot sales Michael? Anyway, think about it. If this is the case then it backs up my point of anglers not losing that much shot anyway, lead or otherwise.

I'm pretty certain that the shotgun lead ban is only a voluntary thing. I am fairly sure that lead cartridges are still available if the shooters require them. If I am wrong then I do apologise.

Kevan
 
C

Chris Bishop

Guest
The only forms of shooting which take place over water are duck shooting and wildfowling.

And there are only a handfull of areas where this takes place - few parts of the Broads (mostly off the Yare...), The Wash and some Fen drains, Humber, parts of Thames estuary, Solent, Exe/Teign, Severn/Wye, Dee, Mersey and that's about it.

Coarse anglers don't get on many of these waters - with the possible exception of some round here like the Delph/Old Bedford and some of the broads.

You simply don't get people shooting along most popular angling venues.

I'm also sure wildfowlers have gone over to using steel, bismuth etc - So we can't blame the shooters, whichever way you look at it.

The big problem is that lead does not biodegrade in the environment. And while it may disappear into the silt with a few floods in some areas, it clearly doesn't in others.

But I wonder if this research takes account of the fact that some migratory birds may have ingested lead in countries where its use is still legal, and birds may also ingest lead via diesel oil spills which enter some navigable waters in considerable quantities.

I've fished parts of the Ouse and some broadland tidals in the summer and had black bits of oil in the braid.
 
P

Phil Hackett

Guest
Chris sorry but I must disagree with you about duck shooting. Many of the meres in Cheshire (plenty of swans on these) have wildfowling shooting syndicates on and around them. Then there’s the rough shooters on private farmland along many of the rivers that shooting most anything during the season.

Chris Burt informs me that the shooting of cartridges with lead in them was only ban last year over water.

Whilst oil is a pollution problem in itself, diesel to my knowledge doesn’t contain lead and lead in fuel was banned at least 2 years ago under an EU directive.

The other points you make are very valid one though.
 
K

Kevan Farmer

Guest
Chris, sorry mate but I'm in agreement with Phil. Every weekend there is a shoot at a place called Millride near to me. It's a multi pool fishing and shooting complex - commercial fishery if you like with shooting thrown in for good measure. If you fish when the shotgun boys are playing then you are guaranteed to get covered in fall out shot. It is not at any velocity as it's already spent. But when it comes down the first time it is bloody frightening. I tried to keep count this Sunday of the amount of bangs. Lost count after 40 in one minute! It's not so bad if the lead ban is in place - is anybody 100% sure of this though yet. But remember, this has been going on for years. I do know that they owner has another few complexes similar to this one so that means there are more weekend shooting forays and more shot deposited.

Kevan
 
C

Chris Bishop

Guest
I'm sure there is no shooting alongside or near most waterways, I'll see if I can get a percentage figure from the EA or someone.

Rough shooters, syndicates, pheasant shoots etc don't generally shoot over water.
 
M

Michael Hall

Guest
I think that this issue will need a full investigation into it by the EA! My other concern is that some anglers when making their own lead bombs do not cover them with the power or any other substance available! Could this be the great cause of it? Even if they are covered when scratched they can reveal the lead! Its probably not the case however!
 
M

Michael Hall

Guest
Are we just passing the buck? Or is it from another source! However I think that we cannot exclude careless anglers from the equation, there are idiots who will leave tackle on banks and any canadian geese (which eat grass) may consume these lead products which are illegal! I remeber one day at my local lake when I walked round a guy asked me if I had a number for a baliffe as there was a duck caught on a line which had been snagged in a tree and the duck had taken the bait! I got the baliffe down and we went out in the boat to free the bird which was obvisously tired! We got the duck off but I think that fishery managers must also patrol around the irlands and check for snagged tackle and free it! This could be another source!
If only it was cormorants!!!!!
 
R

Rob Brownfield

Guest
Eeeek..Chris..have to disagree with u mate..sorry. Two clay pidgeon shoots up here shoot over water.

Fact is, birds can move around, and regularly do..so can pick up lead from one water and be found ill on another.

We are being used as an excuse..no doubt about that...as we have been for years and years.

Michael, I appreciate your comments, but ducks are not in the habit of picking up 1.5 oz + lead weights. They are more prone to small lead shot as they swallow "git" to help with the digestion of food.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top