WHO KNEW lead poisoning is the largest cause of death in adult loons in New Hampshire?

The common loon is a symbol of wildlife in New England’s lakes. If you have ever heard the mesmerizing wail of a loon call on a calm, lakeside evening, then you understand the allure and mystique of these beloved birds.

Historically, loons have suffered—like so many species—from human encroachment on their habitat. By the early 1900s, loons had vanished from much of New Hampshire due to a variety of causes such as shooting, egg collecting, shoreline habitat loss, pollution, acid rain and heavy metal poisoning. 

In 1975, the NH-based Loon Preservation Committee (https://loon.org/) was founded.  At that time, there were 74 territorial pairs of loons in the state. In 2022, there were 345. Education and protecting habitat and nesting sites have made a huge difference in the preservation of loons.  Another important factor in loon conservation in NH has been the passage of legislation, in 2000, to restrict the use of small lead sinkers and jigs on fishing tackle on lakes and ponds. In 2005 and 2006, NH went further by banning the use of this kind of tackle on all freshwaters, and then, in 2016, the state banned the sale of this tackle altogether. 

 Loons can swallow lead sinkers and jigs attached to a fish, or they can ingest them off the lake bottom. Loons routinely swallow pebbles to help grind and digest food, and they can pick up pieces of lead, as well. Ingesting lead fishing tackle is almost always fatal for a loon within 2-4 weeks.

 Despite NH’s ban on the sale of lead fishing tackle, it is still used and continues to kill loons. The state instituted a lead buyback program in 2018, in partnership with the Loon Preservation Committee. The program uses financial incentives to urge anglers to turn in their lead tackle and switch to non-lead alternatives. You can learn more about this program at: https://loon.org/loonsafe/.

 For those who enjoy loons and care about their survival, consider this statistic from the Loon Preservation Committee (LPC): “Using mortality data from 1989-2012, LPC estimated that mortality from lead fishing tackle resulted in a 43% reduction in the state’s loon population”. The solution seems pretty simple: if you fish, don’t use lead tackle.