The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service yesterday approved three new non-toxic shot types B tungsten-bronze, a new formulation of tungsten-iron, and tungsten-tin-bismuth B for use in waterfowl hunting.
The approval published in the Federal Register on August 9, 2004. This action brings to 10, the number of non-toxic shot types available to waterfowl hunters.
"Protecting our waterfowl populations while ensuring waterfowl hunting opportunities are two things we take very seriously,@ said Service Director Steve Williams. AWith each new shot type approved, hunters will have a wider range of choices as they continue to play a key role in the conservation of waterfowl and its habitat."
International Nontoxic Composites Corporation=s application of tungsten-bronze shot, ENVIRON-Metal Inc.=s application of tungsten-iron shot, and Victor Oltrogge=s application for tungsten-tin-bismuth shot have all been approved after being subjects to a rigorous testing protocol.
Previously, hunters were allowed to use steel shot, bismuth-tin, tungsten-iron, tungsten-polymer, tungsten- matrix, tungsten-nickel-iron and tungsten-iron-nickel-tin. For more information on toxic and nontoxic shot, please see http://migratorybirds.fws.gov/issues/nontoxic_shot/nontoxic.htm
Efforts to phase out lead shot began in the 1970s and a nationwide ban on lead shot for all waterfowl hunting was implemented in 1991. Canada instituted a complete ban in 1999. Waterfowl can ingest expended lead shot and many then die from lead poisoning. In addition, predators that consume waterfowl may ingest the shot.
A study in the mid-1990s found that the nationwide ban in the United States on the use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting has had remarkable success. Six years after the ban, researchers estimated a 64 percent reduction in lead poisoning deaths of surveyed mallard ducks and a 78 percent decline on ingestion of lead pellets.
The rule published in the Federal Register is available at http://migratorybirds.fws.gov">>.
