Lead Poisoning In Loons Target Of Vermont Project

International Wildlife, May 3, 1999

The call of the loon is threatened throughout New England, where populations are of concern in most states.

According to studies at Tufts University, more than half of loon deaths in freshwater breeding grounds in New England are caused by lead fishing sinkers that the birds ingest along with fish or with pebbles they scavenge from pond bottoms to aid in digestion. When the sinkers break down in the birds' gizzards, lead enters the bloodstream and severely damages the kidneys, brain and other organs.

To discourage use of lead sinkers, NWF's Northeast Natural Resource Center, the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Lake Champlain office launched a "Safe Waters for Loons" project.

Between Memorial Day and Labor Day, teams of volunteers will offer free exchange of safe steel sinkers for toxic lead sinkers at ten major fishing and boating access sites on lakes and ponds in northeastern Vermont. NWF and its partners will spread the word about the lead hazard through fact sheets, brochures, posters and public-service announcements.

Although loons are most critically affected, more than 1.5 million migratory waterfowl also are thought to die each year by ingesting lead. In 1994, the Environmental Protection Agency drafted, but never issued, regulations banning lead sinkers. Beginning in 2000, New Hampshire will ban lead sinkers weighing less than one ounce from fresh waters.