07/23/2025
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WILDLIFE WEDNESDAYS π¦
π¦GET the LEAD OUTπ¦
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Do you fish??? Did you know ONE sinker is all it takes to kill a loon- they can eat a fish that has broken a line and ingested the sinker or has attached tackle that the loon ingests with the fish. Or they might mistake lead weights for the small stones that they normally eat to aid in digestion. Loons and other wildlife can be entangled, injured, and even killed by eating line. Love a loon by using non-lead tackle. AND if your fishing spot doesn't have a line collection bin, pack out your line.
Lead is still commonly used in ammunition for hunting upland game birds, small mammals, and large game animals, as well as in fishing tackle. Wild birds, such as mourning doves, bald eagles, California condors, raptors and loons, can die from the ingestion of one lead shot, bullet fragment, or sinker. According to a recent study on loon mortality, nearly half of adult loons found sick or dead during the breeding season in New England were diagnosed with confirmed or suspected lead poisoning from ingestion of lead fishing weights. Recent regulations in some states have restricted the use of lead ammunition on certain upland game hunting areas, as well as lead fishing tackle in areas frequented by common loons and trumpeter swans. A variety of alternatives to lead are available for use in hunting, shooting sports, and fishing activities.
Species reported to have been poisoned by eating lead fishing weights include trumpeter swans, brown pelicans, common loons and other waterbirds. These birds may ingest sinkers attached to broken fishing line in hooked fish or may pick them up as grit. The use or sale of lead fishing tackle is restricted in national parks and wildlife areas in Canada. Restrictions also have been implemented in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and in several U.S. National Wildlife Refuges and National Parks.
PHOTO: United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
Info. adapted from USFWS FB post