For Fishermen, Lead Poses Bait Debate

As conservation efforts have boosted the fish's population levels, competitive fishing for striped bass has become a thriving sport in Massachusetts. The fish’s importance to both commercial and recreational fishermen is bringing a controversial baiting tactic into renewed dispute. The Wall Street Journal examines “yo-yoing,” which uses small baitfish stuffed with lead weights, raising questions of both health and fairness.

Not only is yo-yoing legal, but "you've got to do that in order to catch the fish," says one commercial fisherman. But critics complain that the lead-tainted fish are dangerous, and the strategy undermines fair play among sport anglers. One expresses a desire for a tactic "that doesn't pollute the environment, that doesn't contaminate fish and doesn't represent a health hazard to the consumer." (More fishermen stories.)