COVER STORY
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VOL . 37 • ISS . 06
Hey Dan ! — Letters To The Editor
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California State Legislator Introduces Controversial Fishing Tackle Ban Sportfishing organization launches statewide opposition campaign
Hey Dan ! February 16 , 2018 ( Sacramento , CA ): Today , California ’ s leading advocate for recreational anglers expressed their opposition to Assembly Bill 2787 as currently drafted , authored by Assembly Member Bill Quirk , Democrat of Hayward , California .
“ There is no science that justifies banning fishing weights found in nearly every California angler ’ s tackle box ,” said Marko Mlikotin , executive director of the California Sportfishing League . “ Making fishing too costly and less accessible will have a devastating impact on the state ’ s tourism industry and communities dependent on outdoor recreation for tax revenue and jobs .”
Due to the large size of the lead weights and sinkers identified in the legislation , AB 2787 may be the most far reaching ban on fishing tackle in the country and will clear out the inventory of most fishing tackle shops . Moreover , given the significant restriction placed on lead content , it is not certain whether alternative products exist in the market and by most estimations , alternative products can cost up to 20 % more than traditional lead weights .
“ Increasing costs and regulations have had a devastating impact on the state ’ s fishing participation rate , and funding for conservation programs dependent on fishing license sales ” said Mlikotin .
While the nation ’ s fishing participation rate has increased , California is not sharing the same success . According to the U . S . Census , California ranks dead last in the country ( per capita ). Despite having one the Nation ’ s longest coastlines , over 3,000 lakes and reservoirs , and thousands of rivers , annual fishing license sales have decline 55 % since 1980 .
The consequences have been less funding for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ’ s ( DFW ) conservation programs and hatchery programs . Over the past five years , the number of trout plants have decreased by 39 % and 50 % in size , and the Governor ’ s 2018-19 , calls for additional cuts in hatchery programs .
The legislation could not be more untimely as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ( DFW ) has launched a new program that aims to address California ’ s declining fishing participation rate by Retaining , Recruiting and Reactivating ( known as a “ R3 ” program ) anglers .
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No Fishing Tackle Ban Petition In response to the bill , the California Sportfishing League ( CSL ) has launched a “ No Fishing Tackle Ban ” petition that seeks to organize California ’ s 2.6 million anglers in opposition to the bill . To sign the petition , anglers are encouraged to view www . savefishing . com / StoptheFishingTackleBan .
Background
Assembly Bill 2787 states ; “ A person shall not manufacture , sell , or purchase a fishing eight or sinker in California that has no cross section greater than or equal to two centimeters ( less than ¾ of an inch ) in length , is under 50 grams ( less than 1 ¾ ounces ) in mass , and contains more than 0.1 percent lead weight .”
In 2010 , President Obama ’ s U . S . EPA agency rejected a petition to ban lead fishing tackle and then in 2017 proposed a ban on his final day in office , without any new analysis or outreach to stakeholders . The Trump Administration overturned the decision .
To this date , no scientific study has ever been conducted in California that would justify the merits of this legislation and most notably , weights of such large size . Wildlife found in Canada and other parts of the U . S . are not common in California , and no study has determined that where fishing takes place in California , lead fishing weights have harmed wildlife .
Therefore , before causing significant harm to communities dependent on outdoor tourism , studies should be required to determine whether fishing practices are having any significant impact on California wildlife .
The California Sportfishing League ( CSL ) is a nonprofit coalition of recreational anglers , and small business owners devoted to protecting access to recreational fishing . Recreational fishing contributes over $ 4.6 billion annually to California ’ s economy , a major contributor to outdoor tourism and jobs .
To learn more visit www . savefishing . com or Twitter @ CASportfishing .
~ Marko Mlikotin , Marko @ savefishing . com
Hey Marko !
Thanks so much for getting out the word on this bill and creating the No Fishing Tackle Ban ” petition that seeks to organize California ’ s 2.6 million anglers in opposition to the bill . To sign the petition , anglers can go to : www . savefishing . com / Stopthe- FishingTackleBan .
Assemblymember Bill Quirk ’ s AB 2787 would ban the use of lead fishing weight under 50g in weight with a cross section in any direction under 2cm . AB 2787 will
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6455 Pacific St • Rocklin 916-773-7333 be eligible to be heard in the Legislature in March .
I agree with you that a responsible course of action is for the state to conduct a study on whether lead fishing weights have harmed wildlife where fishing takes place in California . I am glad that you are continuing your dialogue with the author and are opposing AB 2787 in its current form . ~ Dan
COVER STORY
Albert Berends holds up a quartet of quality Lake Camanche bass . Albert and his partner Wayne took a trip to Lake Camanche this February . After a slow morning with little to show for their efforts , the duo located a ball of threadfin shad in about 60 feet of water that appeared to be under attack . For the next couple hours , Albert and Wayne hooked bass after bass while working jigging spoons around the bait . In all they caught and released more than 40 fish . Action like this has been occurring at reservoirs all over the motherlode region . North state bass aren ’ t in a prespawn mode just yet . Instead they are holding in deep water and feeding heavily on shad and pond smelt .
Photo courtesy of ALBERT BERRENDS , Sacramento .
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CALIFORNIA-NEVADA EDITION “ The No . 1 Newspaper Dedicated Entirely To Northern California Sportsmen !” Published By NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ANGLER PUBLICATIONS , INC . The Fish Sniffer P . O . Box 776 , Colfax , CA 95713 Toll-Free ( 800 ) 748-6599 www . fishsniffer . com
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