An effort to curb feeding of wildlife in Iowa, aimed at preventing the spread of some diseases, is a serious matter, two state lawmakers acknowledge.

But a proposed law goes to a ludicrous extreme, they say: It would ban most fishing in Iowa.

The bill, proposed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, would prohibit fishing with worms or other “natural food materials” both on public lakes and private ponds, said Senate Minority Whip Sen. Steve Kettering, R-Lake View, and Sen. Merlin Bartz, R-Grafton.

“The department didn’t think about this one very long,” Bartz said. “If it wasn’t so sad, we should be rolling on the floor laughing.”

Natural resources officials acknowledged a problem with the wording and said a ban on fish is not the intent of the legislation.

Disease among herds of wild animals and livestock has cost other states millions, said Dale Garner, chief of wildlife for the Department of Natural Resources.

“All we’re trying to do is prevent an economic disaster here,” Garner said.

“We have to do everything we can so we don’t blow out the money that these surrounding states have had to spend,” he said.

Wisconsin has spent $41 million to fight chronic wasting disease, a neurological disease found in deer, elk and moose, Garner said. Michigan spent millions to fight bovine tuberculosis, a bacterial disease that spreads from deer to cattle. An outbreak of exotic Newcastle disease in poultry in California cost that state $176 million to clean up, he said. And a strain of avian influenza has killed millions of wild and domestic birds worldwide and infected humans, he said.

The bill says feeding and baiting wildlife would be unlawful in Iowa, except in a few specific situations. The aim is to keep animals from gathering in large numbers, which increases the likelihood that a diseased animal will infect others.

Sen. Joe Seng, D-Davenport, a veterinarian, said: “It’s like kids in a day care. You take your kid in there, boom they get it. With avian influenza, if one bird has it, all of a sudden 90 have it.”

The bill would allow for exceptions, such as if Iowans want to place feed within 50 yards of their home for the purpose of observing wildlife.

“In a winter like this, people feel bad for the animals,” Garner said.

“We understand what’s in their heart and that they love to watch the birds and feed them. But they have to realize they also may be doing harm by feeding them,” he said.

Technically, Kettering and Bartz pointed out, the way the bill is worded now bans fishing.

“If you’re using a fake lure, you’re probably going to still be OK in the state of Iowa,” Bartz said with a grin.

Dianne Ford, a lobbyist for the natural resources agency, said they can clarify the bill to exclude feeding fish.