Lead phase-out shot down
Plans to phase out lead shot in sub-gauge shotguns in Southland have been abandoned.
Southland Fish & Game rescinded its decision to ban lead shot throughout Southland in 20 and 16 sub-gauge shotguns at a meeting on Thursday night.
In February, Southland Fish & Game decided to phase out the use of lead shot in 20-gauge shotguns within 200 metres of water and replace it with steel shot over four years.
The decision was met with criticism from some duckshooters, with 60 submissions against the changes and a petition with more than 550 signatures presented to the council.
Southland Fish & Game manager Maurice Rodway said the regional council would not ban lead shot in sub-gauge shotguns.
Several unhappy hunters had influenced the decision, he said.
However, Southland Fish & Game would be asking the national council to implement a ban throughout New Zealand, he said.
Mr Rodway was confident a national ban would be implemented, but said it could take up to six years. There were 12 regional councils, of which five supported the ban, six opposed it and one was undecided, he said.
‘‘As a result of over a hundred concerned hunters turning up to a Southland Fish & Game meeting in June to express their concern, the council met with representatives of the group in July for further consultation.
‘‘At its August meeting, Fish & Game Southland voted to rescind its February motion to introduce a lead-shot ban in sub-gauge shotguns,’’ he said.
Hunters representative Clark Pirie said the council had carefully considered the issues raised by hunters.
Gore duckshooter John Duffy said the problem should have been solved sooner. ‘‘They should have consulted us in the first place and saved themselves 12 months of grief. Democracy, or the people, won at the end of the day,’’ he said.
Gore duckshooter Kevin Fiveash said common sense had prevailed. ‘‘They shouldn’t have done it without the national council. It may happen but it’s got to be nationally,’’ he said.
Southland Fish & Game had the ability to apply its own regulations, Mr Rodway said.
Titiroa duck shooter Michael Dobbie said council and duckshooters were finally ‘‘on the same wavelength’’.
Lead shot has already been banned for bigger shotguns such as the 12-gauge for about 10 years.
Lead shot sinks to the bottom of the waterway, where birds pick it up and ingest it. Unlike steel shot, it is poisonous to them.
Some shooters say the steel shot is lighter and does not kill ducks humanely at longer distances. 1. Name the year in which the government introduced carless days, Sharon O’Neill was named New Zealand’s top female vocalist and Air New Zealand Flight 901 crashed on Mt Erebus. 2. In Australia, is a currawong a fish, a bird or an Aboriginal spear? 3. Which American rock band released a 1970 album called Cosmo’s Factory? 4. Who preceded John Banks as MP for Epsom? 5. Which former Wallabies coach is a conservative talkback host on Sydney radio? 6. Who’s older – Sylvester Stallone or Arnold Schwarzenegger? 7. Private Leonard Manning, the first New Zealand soldier to die in combat since the Vietnam War, was killed where? 8. Which word can precede ant, flag or heat?
9. Which London hall is the usual venue for the concerts known as the BBC Proms? 10. Which two-word French term describes a female live-in helper and child minder?