I don't see anyone providing much more than armchair wishful thinking here. Apparently, few of you know much about the feeding habits and digestive tracts of birds - not even ducks.

I know Lowell just has to think that it bad science and instant presto it is, but is that how all of you make decisions? Lowell has yet to offer up the smallest tidbit of data - nor has anyone else for that matter.

So, if it inconveniences you, it is bad science? Is that right? Must be.

The report that Al posted, is dated 1988. It was published before the full implimentation of non-tox shot was in place. It was preliminary then and out of date now. Further, it is not original research - indeed, it is not research at all, but a summary of the literature at that time.

Since then what else has come to light? Quite a lot it appears from a quick perusal of the literature. All of it supporting the need to ban lead shot for waterfowl hunting. Earlier, I posted a few of those lists for all of you, again, only to see it ignored by the armchair experts. Pretty sad, but I guess many of you do not want to learn - so much easier to deny I suppose.

I will leave the discussion with one more repeat post (also ignored) - an abstract of research, a bit more up to date and relevant to the Mississippi Flyway - for those of you that might care about hunting in it as much as I do. Sadly, I don't think many of you do, I feel sorry for the future of hunting...

I have to say, I have little sympathy for most of the hunting crowd if this site is representative of the attitudes and lack of intelligence.

Brent


Titre du document / Document title
Ingestion of lead and nontoxic shotgun pellets by ducks in the Mississippi flyway
Auteur(s) / Author(s)
ANDERSON W. L. (1) ; HAVERA S. P. (2) ; ZERCHER B. W. (2) ;
Affiliation(s) du ou des auteurs / Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(1) Illinois Department of Natural Resources, 279 Natural Resources Building, 607 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign, IL 61820, ETATS-UNIS
(2) Illinois Natural History Survey, Forbes Biological Station, F.C. Bellrose Waterfowl Research Center, P.O. Box 590, Havana, IL 62644, ETATS-UNIS
Résumé / Abstract
We examined the extent to which ingested nontoxic (steel and bismuth-tin) shotgun pellets replaced toxic (lead) pellets in ducks harvested in the Mississippi Flyway during the 1996 and 1997 hunting seasons (fifth and sixth yr after nationwide conversion to nontoxic shot). Gizzards were collected from 16,651 ducks and processed for the presence of pellets. Prevalences of ingested pellets were 8.9% for 15,147 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), 12.7% for 749 ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris), 4.3% for 579 scaups (Aythya affinis and A. marila), and 9.7% for 176 canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria). For gizzards with ingested pellets, as much as 68% of mallard, 45% of ring-necked duck, 44% of scaup, and 71% of canvasback contained only nontoxic pellets. We estimated that nontoxic shot reduced mortality from lead poisoning in Mississippi Flyway mallards by 64%. Ingestion of ≥2 toxic pellets declined by as much as 78%. To the extent that our findings apply to other species and flyways in North America, an estimated 1.4 million ducks in the 1997 fall continental flight of 90 million were spared from fatal lead poisoning. Only 1.1% of 1,318 gizzards positive for shot-in pellets came from ducks shot with toxic pellets, and only 1 toxic fishing sinker was found in the 16,651 duck gizzards.
Revue / Journal Title
The Journal of wildlife management (J. wildl. manage.) ISSN 0022-541X CODEN JWMAA9
Source / Source
2000, vol. 64, no3, pp. 848-857 (1 p.1/4)
Langue / Language

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BrentD, (Professor - just for Stan)

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