The proposed 2024-25 Hunt Fish Rule, an annual rulemaking by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service ( FWS), was made public on August 1st, to promote access and opportunities for hunters and anglers in the National Wildlife Refuge System ( NWRS ).
The proposed law creates 53 fresh hunting and fishing prospects across 12 shelters and 211, 000 acres. But, the new’ opportunities ‘ are only applicable to hunters and anglers certainly using direct ammunition or fishing tackle. Stemming in part from a sue-and-settle system by the Center for Biological Diversity ( CBD), which was first identified and continually called out by the Sportsmen’s Alliance, new kill fish rules have included pathways to phase-out the use of lead ammo and tackle for existing opportunities, and FWS has adopted a’ no new lead ‘ policy for its hunting and fishing ‘ expansions.’
” The Fish and Wildlife Service is again trying to mislead hunting and fishing with talk of new and expanded options”, said Todd Adkins, vice president of state affairs at Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. ” We wo n’t be distracted by shiny objects and bright lights, though.’ Any new opportunity that does n’t include lead-based ammunition or tackle is a misnomer, including “expansion.” The service is only serving to feed the animal extremists ‘ ideologies, and the science does n’t support it.
A full ban on their use in the NWRS is not justified by the current scientific evidence, which has n’t changed in recent years and is not cited in FWS’ proposed rule. An illegal ban on direct ammunition and tackle is rarely logical or practical, and additions that restrict or ban the use of lead ammunition and tackle are hardly new opportunities. Options and supply for non-lead weapons and address are limited, and when they can be found on store shelves, they’re significantly more expensive than lead-based options.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation appreciates FWS’ annual effort to expand hunting and fishing on the NWRS, a program that is funded by warrior funds and intended for wildlife-dependent leisure, for which the Sportsmen’s Alliance gave priority as a matter of law with the passage of the 1997 Refuge Improvement Act, which was written and shepherded through Congress by the Sportsmen’s Alliance. But we also call a spade a spade, and this is no growth. We’ll proceed to instruct and support FWS in expanding its scope of possibilities, including through opinions on the proposed 2024-25 Hunt Fish Rule.
” We have litigated lead-ammo restrictions on the protection program in the past, are now litigating one now in a situation involving the Canaan Valley Refuge in West Virginia, and we will continue to do so in the potential”, said Michael Jean, litigation lawyers at Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation. The refuge system’s primary funding source is “hunter dollars.” Hunters should not be burdened by arbitrary restrictions, but rather be able to use and enjoy the refuge system they paid for.
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About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished by coordinating several distinct programs to offer the best defense possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance: Online, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
