New York State to Ban Plastic Fishing Lures?

Some states have already started legislation that would prevent anglers from using plastic/rubber fishing lures. Is New York next? It may very well be.

With all the attention that has been paid to guns recently, it would be easy for Governor Cuomo to move forward, under pressure from environmental groups, to ban or restrict the use of artificial bait. Parts of the USA are already doing this.

In Maine, state representative Paul Davis introduced a bill on January 17 that would ban the use of “rubber worms” (the catch-all term for soft plastics baits) within the state.

In an article from The New American, the reason behind the ban is explained..

They say that soft plastics pollute the waters and can be consumed by aquatic wildlife like loons, ducks, and otters. They also say that plastic worms sit in the bellies of fish that were lucky enough to get away...

Here in New York, there are many laws/rules/regulations on fishing. As I have often said, you need a license to catch fish in New York, but anyone can have children!! That's a fact that always makes me shake my head. One environmental fishing regulation in New York deals with the use of lead weights.

Maine and, most recently, New York have banned the sale of lead sinkers weighing less than half of an ounce. The use of lead sinkers and jigs weighing less than 50 grams is prohibited in Canadian national parks and national wildlife areas. Lead sinkers are currently prohibited in three national wildlife refuges in the western United States.