| | Accession Number | 5001779 |
| | Title | Technical assistance to the Fish and Wildlife Service on alternative shot |
| | Project Description | Coincident with the prohibition of toxic lead shot for the hunting waterfowl and coots in the U.S., |
| | procedures for registration of candidate nontoxic shot were instituted (50 CFR Part 20, section |
| | 20.134; 1986). These test guidelines focused on determining whether unintentional ingestion of the |
| | candidate shot or shot coating posed a significant hazard to waterfowl compared to lead and |
| | steel shot. Over the past decade, the safety of several candidate shot (e.g., bismuth, tungsten) |
| | and shot coatings (e.g., zinc, tin) have been evaluated. Unfortunately, the original registration |
| | guidelines do not address potential toxic effects of candidate materials on biota other than |
| | waterfowl (e.g., invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals), or their supporting habitats. |
| | Accordingly, a new tiered testing protocol (FR vol. 62 no. 230 63607-63615), with a much broader |
| | ecological perspective, was developed and has been implemented. This new protocol for |
| | evaluation of candidate materials utilizes an ecological risk assessment approach. It is |
| | scientifically more robust and also less burdensome for those attempting to develop and register |
| | nontoxic shot. Attempts are underway to harmonize these new testing guidelines internationally. |
| | Keywords | harvest, nontoxic shot, risk assessment, |
| | Principal | Barnett A Rattner, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center: Barnett_Rattner@usgs.gov; |
| | Investigators |
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