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Kits allow anglers to go green
By David Hendee
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Green fishing gear is hooking dads and kids this spring.
Anglers who have wanted to try environmentally friendly bait and tackle have sometimes felt they were wading upstream to find green gear.
But now that spring weather warms fishing waters — and folks shop for graduation and Father’s Day gifts — a new venture is putting gear in anglers’ hands to not only catch fish but to be good fishery stewards while they’re at it.
S.A.F.E. Angling Kits are tackle boxes loaded with lead-free sinkers and lures, biodegradable molded lures and floats, circle hooks and cam-action single hooks. Kits include how-to information to get new anglers started fishing and stewardship tips to help anglers live a lifestyle of stewardship.
S.A.F.E. stands for Sustaining Angling, Fish and Ecosystems.
The kits are a joint project of Recycled Fish of Council Bluffs, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. A campaign, “Get The Lead Out,” has educated anglers and hunters in Minnesota during the past decade on the benefits of switching to nontoxic sinkers and lures.
Proceeds from the sale of the kits support Recycled Fish, a national nonprofit organization of anglers dedicated to living a lifestyle of stewardship on and off the water.
Teeg Stouffer, executive director of Recycle Fish, said it hasn’t always been easy for anglers to find environmentally friendly fishing gear. The kits give anglers a chance to try many of the lead-alternative weights on the market.
Anglers who purchase one of the initial offering of kits have a chance to win a $50 gift card from the store where they bought their kit by participating in a survey after they’ve tried their kit.
Why use S.A.F.E. gear? Stouffer explained:
When lead sinkers are lost through broken fishing lines or other means, they can be dangerous for wildlife. Loons, swans, ducks and geese can inadvertently eat them and die. Eating one lead sinker can poison a loon. Eagles can ingest lead by eating fish that have swallowed lead sinkers.
In loon-breeding areas — the Great Lakes, northeastern United States and eastern Canada — studies indicate that lead poisoning accounts for about 25 percent of dead loons found by researchers. In some areas, lead causes up to 50 percent of loon mortality.
Traditional soft plastic lures don’t break down and can be ingested by fish. They cause blockages that slow the fish’s growth or lead to its death. Estimates suggest that soft plastic fishing lures are responsible for as much as 20 million pounds of plastic left in fishing waters every year.
“Fisheries are a canary in the coal mine for problems in our broader environment,’’ Stouffer said. “Since our lifestyle runs downstream, we can look at what’s happening with fish and identify problems to come in our drinking water supply, among other things.’’
A tackle box with a conscience. That’s what Finn Horvath of Recycled Fish calls the product.
“People who fish are passionate about taking care of the waters and the fish they love, and S.A.F.E Angling Kits give them quality tackle to do that affordably,’’ he said.
The kits are available for $14.99 at Woods Sporting Goods in Council Bluffs, Wolf Tackle in Lincoln, Joe’s Sporting Goods in St. Paul, Minn., Red Rock Wilderness Store in Ely, Minn., or online at www.GreenTackle.com.
Kits allow anglers to go green
By David Hendee
WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Green fishing gear is hooking dads and kids this spring.
Anglers who have wanted to try environmentally friendly bait and tackle have sometimes felt they were wading upstream to find green gear.
But now that spring weather warms fishing waters — and folks shop for graduation and Father’s Day gifts — a new venture is putting gear in anglers’ hands to not only catch fish but to be good fishery stewards while they’re at it.
S.A.F.E. Angling Kits are tackle boxes loaded with lead-free sinkers and lures, biodegradable molded lures and floats, circle hooks and cam-action single hooks. Kits include how-to information to get new anglers started fishing and stewardship tips to help anglers live a lifestyle of stewardship.
S.A.F.E. stands for Sustaining Angling, Fish and Ecosystems.
The kits are a joint project of Recycled Fish of Council Bluffs, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. A campaign, “Get The Lead Out,” has educated anglers and hunters in Minnesota during the past decade on the benefits of switching to nontoxic sinkers and lures.
Proceeds from the sale of the kits support Recycled Fish, a national nonprofit organization of anglers dedicated to living a lifestyle of stewardship on and off the water.
Teeg Stouffer, executive director of Recycle Fish, said it hasn’t always been easy for anglers to find environmentally friendly fishing gear. The kits give anglers a chance to try many of the lead-alternative weights on the market.
Anglers who purchase one of the initial offering of kits have a chance to win a $50 gift card from the store where they bought their kit by participating in a survey after they’ve tried their kit.
Why use S.A.F.E. gear? Stouffer explained:
When lead sinkers are lost through broken fishing lines or other means, they can be dangerous for wildlife. Loons, swans, ducks and geese can inadvertently eat them and die. Eating one lead sinker can poison a loon. Eagles can ingest lead by eating fish that have swallowed lead sinkers.
In loon-breeding areas — the Great Lakes, northeastern United States and eastern Canada — studies indicate that lead poisoning accounts for about 25 percent of dead loons found by researchers. In some areas, lead causes up to 50 percent of loon mortality.
Traditional soft plastic lures don’t break down and can be ingested by fish. They cause blockages that slow the fish’s growth or lead to its death. Estimates suggest that soft plastic fishing lures are responsible for as much as 20 million pounds of plastic left in fishing waters every year.
“Fisheries are a canary in the coal mine for problems in our broader environment,’’ Stouffer said. “Since our lifestyle runs downstream, we can look at what’s happening with fish and identify problems to come in our drinking water supply, among other things.’’
A tackle box with a conscience. That’s what Finn Horvath of Recycled Fish calls the product.
“People who fish are passionate about taking care of the waters and the fish they love, and S.A.F.E Angling Kits give them quality tackle to do that affordably,’’ he said.
The kits are available for $14.99 at Woods Sporting Goods in Council Bluffs, Wolf Tackle in Lincoln, Joe’s Sporting Goods in St. Paul, Minn., Red Rock Wilderness Store in Ely, Minn., or online at www.GreenTackle.com.