Bill Threatens Future of Fishing in Maine

Posted by Wayne G. Barber

Titled “An Act To Require Biodegradable Hooks and Lures for Freshwater Fishing,” this new bill would ban all hooks, and all lures containing plastic or rubber, by the year 2024 unless they are biodegradable.

Therefore, likely every hook and lure in your tackle box would become illegal!

Bill Threatens Future of Fishing in Maine

Biodegradable hooks simply do not exist. Any biodegradable materials would lack the tensile strength required and would rust quickly.

In addition, requiring all plastic and rubber in lures to be biodegradable is unwarranted and would be a huge burden on anglers.

UPDATE:

Senator Paul Davis’s bill to require rubber lures to be biodegradable was postponed this morning by the legislature’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee, at the request of the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife.

Francis Brautigam, DIFW’s Fisheries Division Director, informed the committee that the department would like some time to work on this important issue, and said they’d be organizing a group of both supporters and opponents of the bill, to explore what can be done.

The IFW Committee agreed to postpone action on the bill until next year, to give DIFW that opportunity.

The committee did allow people to speak, and they heard from both supporters and opponents. Opponents were all bass anglers.

Both sides offered compelling testimony. I was struck by something Randy Larry of the Big Moose Lake Association, who submitted a petition with 130 signatures in favor of the bill, said, “The fish are dying. Something needs to be done.”

It was good to hear that DIFW agrees, and is willing to explore possible actions and report back to the committee next year.