KAF: Maine Legislation Seeks to Ban Nondegradable Fishing Hooks
KeepAmericaFishing 02.04.13
Unclear bill mandates hooks must be decomposable
On January 17, state Representative Paul Davis introduced H.P. 38/L.D. 43, legislation that would prohibit the use of nondegradable hooks for fishing. Most fish hooks for sportfishing are manufactured from carbon steel. These hooks may have a variety of coatings that are designed to attract fish, blend with baits or make the hook more durable.
Some hooks used in sportfishing are manufactured from stainless steel. Under current manufacturing technology carbon steel hooks corrode and degrade within several months of being submerged in a lake or stream. The bill’s mandate would not only create a burden for anglers who would have to replace their fishing equipment, but would also be technologically impractical for manufacturers to accomplish.
On Tuesday, February 5th Maine’s Joint Standing Committee on Inland Fisheries and Wildlife will hold a public hearing on this bill.
Go to KeepAmericaFishing.org now to send your message to the Committee urging them not to vote for this bill.
KeepAmericaFishing is the fastest growing community of anglers united with one common goal -- to protect our right to sustainably fish on our nation's waterways. As the voice of the American angler, KeepAmericaFishing works to keep our public resources – our oceans, lakes, rivers and streams – open, clean and abundant with fish.
Across the country, preventing or limiting recreational anglers’ access to public waters fisheries is being touted as a new way to manage fish populations. This unprecedented shift undermines the achievements of proven fisheries management methods that focus on conservation and promote sustainable fishing. As a result, the past 10 years have seen a dramatic increase in bans on recreational fishing from the Atlantic to the Pacific, from Texas to Minnesota.
In an effort to combat access restrictions around the country, the American Sportfishing Association launched KeepAmericaFishing to unite the nation’s 60 million anglers under one voice. Through policy, science and conservation, KeepAmericaFishing works to minimize access restrictions, promote clean waters and restore fish populations. With its conservation partners, KeepAmericaFishing works to limit and provide for review and revision science-based closures to areas in which they are clearly beneficial to the health of the fishery.
At KeepAmericaFishing, we are working to give voice to the millions of American recreational anglers who share one thing in common - a passion for fishing.
