Minnesota DNR denies petition to ban lead fishing tackle, hunting ammunition

The DNR concluded in its decision that any new rule on lead tackle and shot should be left to the state legislature because of its potential impact on hunters, anglers and businesses. The document outlining the department's reasoning said Minnesota has approximately 1.5 million licensed anglers and 557,000 licensed hunters.

"A decision of this magnitude must involve engagement with the full range of stakeholders that could be affected by the decision," the DNR said in a news release.

According to the document, Minnesota law requires that any new regulation put into effect by a state agency must be approved by the legislature if the cost to comply with the rule exceeds $25,000 for any business employing less than 50 people. The DNR hypothesized that there is a high likelihood that at least one business would have met that threshold if the requests in the petition were put into effect.

A 2018 petition asked for a rule to prohibit lead fishing tackle either statewide or within the Common Loon Range. The DNR commissioner denied that rule because Minnesota state law does only gives the agency authority to enact rules for specific bodies of water. The DNR also suggested that such a widespread change as requested in the 2018 petition would rise to the purview of the state legislature.

At least 26 states have adopted measures to ban lead shot for use of hunting small game, the document said, and several more have banned the use of lead fishing tackle. The Minnesota petitioners sought to enact a rule mirroring the regulations California put in place which prohibit the use of all lead ammunition and shot. So far California is the only state to ban lead hunting projectiles across the board.

Minnesota banned use of lead shot for waterfowl hunting in 1987.

An attempted ban on the sale and use of lead tackle during the 2002-03 legislative session was met with opposition from anglers and businesses and was abandoned in favor of educational outreach promoting non-toxic materials in fishing tackle.