Maybe you can use lead sinkers

San Diego anglers are sharing a sigh of relief over the change in a ban on the use of lead in fishing sinker and tackle.

On April 24, the bill’s author, Assemblyman Bill Quirk (D-Hayward), chair of the assembly committee on environmental safety and toxic materials, facing sharp criticism from fishermen, agreed to amend his Assembly Bill 2787.

Rather than an outright ban on lead tackle, the bill now says the state will “study the potential impacts of lead on California wildlife.” The bill requires a report to be completed by 2020.

“The study . . . is overly broad and could be contracted out to an anti-fishing organization, instead of an objective government agency,” reported the California Sportfishing League to its members.

The original lead ban bill was opposed by 28 boating, fishing, and tackle organizations and industries. Locally the Coastal Conversation Association San Diego, Oceanside Senior Anglers, and the San Diego County Wildlife Federation opposed the bill.

Local angler groups remain cautious, stating they are keeping their heads up on how the study proceeds. Most realize in 2020, the ban may be proposed again.

If California does enact a lead ban, it will be contrary to federal law. In March, 2017 President Trump’s interior secretary appointee, Ryan Zinke, on his first day on the job, reversed the Obama administration’s soon-to-enacted ban on lead used in fishing and hunting. The ban was reversed, according to Zinke, to highlight the need for additional review.