In 1991, lead shot was phased out for use in waterfowl hunting because it was found to be toxic to ducks and geese that ingest it while feeding. At that time, steel shot became the only legal load for waterfowl hunting. With this decision, waterfowlers have a choice of four types of shot--steel, bismuth-tin, tungsten-iron, and tungsten-polymer--for the 1998-99 season.
The use of tungsten-iron as non-toxic shot was temporarily approved for use during the 1997-98 season. The decision to extend the temporary approval for the 1998-99 season poses little risk to the resource and would provide Federal Cartridge Company the time needed to complete the full range of tests on the shot material.
The new shot material, tungsten-polymer, was submitted for Service approval by Federal this year. While results of the 30-day toxicity tests on both shots suggest that these materials pose little threat to waterfowl through ingestion, additional testing will be conducted before permanent approval will be granted by the Service.
As with last years temporary approval of tungsten-iron shot, the Service did not approve the use of either shot in Alaskas Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta because of concern that the absorption of tungsten into the femur, kidney, and liver could potentially affect the threatened spectacled eider, a species already subject to adverse weather, predation, and lead poisoning.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
