Lead Tackle Ingestion and Impacts

The problem of lead tackle killing loons is not unique to Franklin Pierce Lake. Lead poisoning resulting from the ingestion of lead fishing tackle is by far the leading documented cause of death for adult loons across New Hampshire, accounting for 38% of adult loon mortalities documented in the state from 1989–2023.

As fish-eating birds, there are many ways that loons may ingest tackle. They may consume a fish that has broken an angler’s line, strike at a fish being reeled past them in the water, or even strike at the piece of tackle itself as it is reeled in (mistaking the shiny, moving object for a small fish). Loons may also pick up lead tackle from the lake bottom, mistaking it for a pebble and swallowing it to aid in digestion. However, LPC’s data indicates that this is not a major source of tackle ingestion for loons. Once swallowed by a loon, the lead object proceeds down the esophagus and into the gizzard, a muscular organ filled with strong acids used to break down fish. In the gizzard, the tackle begins to erode, and as it does so, lead leaches out into the loon’s blood stream and begins to poison the bird. A loon that ingests lead tackle will typically die within 2–4 weeks. In New Hampshire, only one loon has been successfully rehabilitated after an operation to remove lead tackle and subsequently found to have returned to its lake and reproduced. More often, loons do not show the signs of lead poisoning until it is too late to save them.

LPC’s data indicates that the majority of loons that are have died of lead poisoning in New Hampshire consumed tackle that was in active use—that is, the loons did not ingest lead from a reservoir of lost tackle on lake bottoms but instead consumed tackle that had been recently used by an angler. Lead sinkers and lead-headed jigs that weigh one oz. or less (the size range most often found to kill loons) have been illegal to use in freshwater in New Hampshire since 2016. The fact that loons are continuing to die from lead poisoning means that some people, knowingly or not, are violating state lead tackle laws. The upside to this is that if loons are dying from consuming tackle that is in active use, there is an easy way to prevent these lead deaths: switching to non-lead alternatives.

The Benefit of Non-Lead Tackle for Loons

Loons’ digestive systems are designed to break down whole fish, including sharp, spiny fish bones. Fishing tackle, when not made out of a poisonous material like lead, is nearly always able to be broken down by a loon’s digestive system and passed without causing any harm to the loon. By using non-lead tackle, anglers ensure that if a loon accidentally ingests their tackle, that loon will not be harmed.

The Benefit of Non-Lead Tackle for Anglers

Switching to non-lead tackle can have performance benefits for anglers. Many non-toxic lead alternatives like steel, bismuth, and tungsten, are harder than lead and are less likely to get hung up on rocks or other snags underwater. Tungsten tackle, especially, has been taking the angling world by storm in recent years because of the performance advantages that it offers. Tungsten is much denser than lead, which allows tungsten tackle to be smaller in size than lead tackle of the same weight. Because of its smaller size, a piece of tungsten tackle has less drag than a piece of lead tackle of the same weight, which means the tungsten tackle sinks through the water more quickly than lead. The higher density of tungsten tackle also translates to a better sensitivity, allowing anglers to get a better feel of the lake bottom and determine what they’re fishing over.

How can I tell if My Tackle is Lead?

The first step in getting the lead out is sorting through your tackle box to determine if you have any lead tackle in your possession. If your tackle is not painted or coated, there are two easy methods that you can use to determine whether or not it is lead. First, rub the tackle against a piece of paper. If the tackle leaves behind a gray streak, it is likely made of lead. If the tackle does not leave a streak, one additional test that you can use is to try to put a dent in it with your fingernail or a pair of pliers. Lead is a very soft metal and is easily dented.

If your tackle is covered in paint or another type of coating, the easiest way to determine if it may contain lead is to remember when and where it was purchased. The chart below can help you determine how likely it is that tackle purchased in New Hampshire contains lead.  New Hampshire has the strictest lead laws in the nation, and as such, this chart will not be applicable to tackle purchased from out-of-state retailers. Tackle purchased outside of New Hampshire is more likely to contain lead.

An Additional Incentive to Make the Switch

For those who still have lead tackle lingering in their tackle boxes, the Loon Preservation Committee runs a Lead Tackle Buyback Program in conjunction with local tackle shops. At any participating shop, 1 oz. or more of now-illegal to use lead tackle (lead sinkers and lead-headed jigs individually weighing 1 oz or less) can be exchanged for a $10 store voucher. The program also includes additional financial incentives for those who turn in the largest amounts of tackle at each participating shop each calendar year—$100 for the largest turn-in, and $50 for the second-largest.  More information about this program can be found at www.loonsafe.org