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Lead Fishing Tackle |
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In the United States and Canada,
it is estimated that hundreds of tons of lead fishing tackle are deposited
in marine and freshwaters annually, primarily through the loss of sinkers
and jigs while fishing. More than 20 species of waterbirds, including loons,
have the potential to accidentally ingest lead fishing tackle while feeding.
Loons and other birds normally ingest small pebbles, “grit”, which enables
their gizzard to break down fish bones, a normal component of their regular
diet. Loons often have as many as 20-30 pebbles in their gizzard at any one
time. Unfortunately, birds often mistake lead fishing tackle for the pebbles
they normally consume. Ingestion of lead fishing sinkers
or jigs results in lead toxicity, and eventually death, as the lead is
broken down by the acidic
conditions of the stomach and absorbed into the bloodstream. Research
conducted by members of the Northeast Loon Study Workgroup and by the NYS
DEC Wildlife Pathology Laboratory has shown that lead poisoning due to
lead fishing tackle ingestion is
a significant cause of mortality in breeding adult loons in the northeastern
United States and Canada. To date, cases of lead toxicity have accounted for
20-50% of loon mortalities analyzed by the NYS Wildlife Pathology Laboratory
and the Wildlife Clinic at the Tufts Univ. School of Veterinary Medicine
(excluding catastrophic events, such as the botulism outbreak in Lake Erie).
Lead toxicity is one anthropogenic cause of
mortality in Common Loons that can be minimized through public education
programs and regulation of the use or sale of lead fishing tackle. In 2002,
New York passed legislation banning the sale of small lead sinkers weighing
less than 1/2 ounce. This legislation will take effect on May 8, 2004.
New Hampshire and Maine have also recently passed legislation regulating the
use or sale of lead fishing tackle and promoted education programs for
anglers about non-toxic alternatives. Vermont implemented a similar public
education initiative, including brochures and a lead sinker exchange
program, to encourage anglers to voluntarily use non-lead fishing
alternatives. Efforts to reduce mortality in waterbirds due to lead
poisoning have also been made on an international front in Great
Britain and Canada through environmental policies banning the use of lead
fishing sinkers and jigs. In the United States, lead sinker use has been
banned on a number of national parks and wildlife refuges. Currently
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is currently considering banning the use
of lead fishing tackle on all national wildlife refuges.
The combination of lead fishing
tackle regulation and public education programs reflect a commitment towards
improving the health of aquatic ecosystems and reducing the impacts of lead
on wildlife populations.
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LEAD AND LOONS - WHAT
YOU CAN DO: |
- Use non-lead fishing tackle, especially on waters inhabited by loons
and other waterbirds.
- Promote the use of non-lead (and non-zinc, which is also very toxic)
fishing weights by anglers and the proper disposal of lead fishing tackle.
- Download ACLP’s “Get
the Lead Out” brochure to encourage others to learn more about
non-lead fishing tackle alternatives.
- Contact your local conservation department to encourage them to
discuss lead toxicity issues in their fishing regulations guide to
increase awareness of anglers, and to promote voluntary use of non-lead
fishing sinkers and jigs.
- Encourage your local fishing supply stores to sell non-lead fishing
tackle. Tackle made from such materials as tin, bismuth, steel, ceramic,
or glass are non-toxic. Several inexpensive and ecologically safe
alternatives to lead fishing sinkers and jigs are currently manufactured.
- Contact members of your state legislature and your conservation
department to learn about the status of lead fishing tackle use in your
state and what you can do to support the use of safer alternatives.
ACLP's
"Get the Lead Out!"
Brochure
(pdf file)
Lead Sinker Exchange Sites
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