Dale Goble:
>At trial, NWF introduced evidence that 96 Bald Eagles had died of lead
>poisoning between 1976 and 1984 and that 23 had died in 1984. It was
>presumed that the Eagles ingested the lead by eating waterfowl that had
>been shot and not recovered.

>The court enjoined the use of the lead shot as a violation of the
>Endangered Species Act.

This may've been the case that got the ball rolling. As mentioned
earlier, the reason for banning lead shot was eagle, not waterfowl
poisoning. The hunting community and our state (MY state, Oregon)
biologists fought the switch when the argument was based on
waterfowl mortality, arguing that the mortality was acceptable
in light of the greater expense, lower lethality, and potential
damage to firearms which supposedly result from the use of steel
shot. I always thought it was curious that ODFW biologists would
use the extra cost to hunters as an argument against further
protection of the resource! Much of ODFW is stocked with modern
thinking biologists, but the waterfowl division management, at
that time anyway, was stocked with good-ole boy types who viewed
themselves as being advocates for hunters, not the resource. The
difference being a short-term strategy of satisfying today's
hunters without too much regard for the long-term health of
the resource, and the sport.


- Don Baccus, Portland OR <donb at rational.com>