*****UPDATE THE BILL IS OFF THE TABLE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE****

I write to you today to inform you all about a proposed bill that is on the table for this calendar year in the state of Connecticut.  A very similar bill passed in the state of California recently, and curiosity has been alerted now that it is on the table here where I reside as it has the potential to affect the flyfishing and tying community.

Proposed H.B. 5031 AN ACT PROHIBITING THE SALE, TRADE OR DISTRIBUTION OF NEW ANIMAL FUR.  On face value this does’nt appear to be so alarming, but the limited amount of information pertaining to the proposed bill leaves a tremendous amount of speculation and room for interpretation.  The bill reads as follows:

Referred to Committee on Environment

Introduced by:

Rep. Michel, 146th Dist.

AN ACT PROHIBITING THE SALE, TRADE OR DISTRIBUTION OF NEW ANIMAL FUR.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Respresentatives in General Assembly convened:

1 That the general statutes be amended to prohibit the sale, trade and distribution of new

2 animal fur.

Statement of Purpose:

To prohibit the sale and trade of new animal fur products in the state of Connecticut.

Surprisingly enough when I first posted about this bill on Instagram, there were in fact several fellow flyfisher’s and tiers who voiced similar concerns.  There have also been a fair amount of naysayers including some rather notable companies in the industry that are for this bill.  Some of the naysayers are taking the clear path of least resistance on the topic by simply assuming that this is only in regards to the use of animal furs in clothing because they have gotten “verbal” confirmation from one of the supporting representatives that this is what it is intended for.  Well, that’s all well and good, but we all know how things left vague can be opened up for interpretation at a later date. This bill needs some serious clarfication or opposition until it is clearly articulated what it's purpose is intended to be.

I am sure many of you are rolling your eyes at me right now, but listen closely as you might change your mind.  Think about what this could potentially mean for the sale of virtually every fur product used in fly tying; every fly that has fur in it’s construction that is sold by tiers and in fly shops.   Head spinning yet?   Good question I would say that it could be a detrimental blow to the industry if it were that far reaching as a majority of fly patterns utilize fur in their construction.  Just sit and think about that for a second; deer hair, rabbit, fox, squirrel, beaver, cow, moose, just to mention a few.  Think about all those packages of dubbing you have that are comprised of primarily rabbit, gone.   Sick to your stomach yet?

So with a little research I was able to track down with the help of some of my other fellow fly tying friends some more information as to the origin and reasoning behind this bill.  A recent online article describes the reasoning behind the bill and focuses entirely on the cruelty to animals that are held in fur farms for the sole purpose of harvesting their pelts.  Look, I am certain that many of you including myself are against fur farms and the harsh conditions with which these animals are treated with this as well, but that doesn't mean the ethical utilization of animals via other means should be lumped into this bill.  

It is ever so apparent that there needs to be more substance and clarification in this particular bill clearly illustrating that fur farms are the primary focus of this bill for the sale and use in clothing.  This is a whole other ball of wax that we could get into at a later date, but just one of the very clear things that needs to be articulated in this proposed bill.  You can read this article HERE.

What we all need to do is write the environmental committee for the state of Connecticut requesting that we are in opposition of this bill as it clearly needs more language  articulating what this bill is intended for.  Plain and simple it needs to be scrapped.

I have drafted a form letter you can all cut and paste and send to the environmental committee.  If you are a fly shop, commercial tier or guide you can simply change the language accordingly in a few simple areas.

AN ACT PROHIBITING THE SALE, TRADE OR DISTRIBUTION OF NEW ANIMAL FUR.

Dear Senators of the Environmental Committee,

I am contacting you in regards to the listed proposed bill in regards to the sale, trade or distribution of new animal fur.  I am a concerned member of the flyfishing community who fishes with flies that utilize fur in their construction as well as purchases materials that consist of animal fur.  I see many issues for the Flyfishing industry on so many levels with this proposed bill as it could potentially impact not only several businesses including fly shops and other commercial tiers.

The industry has used furs from animals in the construction of the flies (lures) that we use to fool fish for hundreds of years.  The economic impacts are not only far reaching, but this bill is rather short sighted in that it would have farther reaching negative environmental impacts that would force tiers to substitute all natural fur which is biodegradable and less harmful to the environment to strictly synthetic options which in turn are much more harmful to the environment as they require petroleum based industries to manufacture them.

This is only a small sample of the many questions and concerns that I and many others have about this proposed bill and I strongly oppose this bill for it's lack of clarification and language as it leaves too much grey area and room for interpretation and speculation.  The economic and environmental impacts to the flyfishing industry from this proposed bill are short sighted and far reaching.  Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing back from you.

Regards,

This letter can be sent here: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you are a resident of Connecticut you can also contact your state representatives and send them the same as it will at least get  their attention and let them know you are concerned about the status of said bill.

As always I will keep you informed as things progress on this bill and please, share this with all of your fellow anglers and outdoorsmen.

Best,

-RS-