I
wonder how many of you have ever opened a split shot sinker with your
teeth or held one in your mouth when going through your tackle box. I
am pretty sure most of us have without giving it a second thought
because we were focused on the fishing. Lead is a toxic substance and
can be harmful to humans in many ways, according to federal and state
government agencies in the U.S.A and Canada. Knowledge of this has
lead to a ban on lead based paint, and as a fuel additive, and also
household plumbing pipes, and window coverings the list goes on. Here
in Canada Shotgun shells with lead shot are now banned, and only non
lead shot may be used. Many efforts have been made towards public
awareness about the hazards of lead and many people are aware of the
risk.
However
there is a lot of work still to be done, you see humans are not the
only species who suffer from the effects of lead, many of our Common
Loons suffer a terrible death every year due to lead poisoning.
A Split shot Sinker inside a dead Loon!
At
least 27 different species are known to be affected by lead poisoning
including numerous duck species, the Trumpeter, Tundra and Mute
swans, Bald eagles, Sandhill cranes, and the Common loon.
Studies
conducted in the late 1990's and early 2000's in New England and New
Hampshire and Minnesota found in some areas over 50% of loon
mortality is due to lead poisoning from sinker and jig ingestion; and
is the most frequent cause of loon deaths in New Hampshire. Up to 17%
of the loon deaths in Minnesota were the result of lead poisoning.
Here is a big sinker a loon consumed from some sort of fishing rig.
This is a closeup shot of the above photo, look at the sinker the bird consumed. This is obviously some sort of rig that was broke off from an angler.
Likewise the Canadian Wildlife service has shown significant
mortality in the Common Loon from ingestion of lead sinkers and jigs.
I have looked into this several times, the numbers are real, this is
a serious issue and one we have to work on.
There
are many documents that clearly warn of the risks of lead toxicosis
in water birds. Direct ingestion rather than other environmental
sources are clearly the leading cause of lead poisoning in our birds.
This is another sinker from a broken fishing rig, and another dead loon, these photos are just a drop in the bucket, there are many such photos. Some are very disturbing, showing the birds dying.
Boat
trauma, commercial fishing nets, botulism, mercury, aspergillosis,
and others round out the beating our water birds take every year.
Here
is what happens in most cases, birds commonly pick up small pebbles
to grind food for digestion. Small lead sinkers and jigs are often
mistaken for pebbles, or the bird consumes lures with fish and lead
attached directly.
The
lead enters the gizzard, where stomach acids and abrasion break down
the metal and it is absorbed into the bloodstream. What happens next
is a real heart breaker, if you love the outdoors as much as I do.
The poisoning then causes behavioral changes in the bird including
loss of balance, gasping, tremors, and an impaired ability to fly.
Now
the bird is more vulnerable to predators, it has trouble feeding,
mating, nesting, and caring for its young. It becomes emaciated and
often dies within two or three weeks after eating the lead. Just one
lead sinker or jig can poison a water bird, and make it suffer.
This is the way I like to view the Loon.
I am
not a crazy environmentalist, or one of those over the top goofs who
go to far to the extreme to discuss a problem. I love the outdoors
and Fishing and Goose hunting just like all of you. What I want to
discuss here is how can we help and do something without hurting the
fishing Industry. How can we help and how can we as fishermen and
women work together to better our sport and the outdoors we love
without getting the Crazy people to take up the cause and want a ban
on fishing products. Lets face it there are some of those politicians
who would love to cut into our Fishing heritage and destroy it.
Lead
has always been the sinker and jig material of choice because of the
density and the cheap cost to the manufactures. However there are
some very high quality non-toxic sinkers and jigs out there made out
of a variety of different metals. Like Bismuth, Tin, and Steel, to
name a few.
A Deer swimming by on it's way across the lake, I enjoy these moments when fishing.
Would a ban on Lead fishing products help?? And My
goodness who would first of all, and could it ever be enforced? Our
countries are struggling with major budget deficits as it is, so
there is really no money to enforce such a thing. It would only hurt
the industry as I see it. Different metals are available, and easy to
work with, Bismuth is so very easy to work with and has a density
86.4% of that of lead and is a great emitter of sound like steel
However steel is a little harder to work with but nonetheless is a
great metal for sinkers. Tin is the hands down best for pinch on, and
split shot sinkers because it is so pliable. And the non-toxic paints
these days are out of this world. Professional anglers have commented
on the quality and durability of these products, and are starting to
change the way they look at lead products. However to ask a
manufacturer to retool and go lead free would be crazy and cost some
companies millions, and could put some out of business. And so like
the lead, the issue is toxic also, and a very difficult thing to try
and work on. We should really ask ourselves what our environment and
our waterfowl, fish, and wildlife are worth to us and make some
changes in the way we fish and the way we teach our kids to fish.
There has to be a way we can make a difference and help out without
going to some extreme. Can we adopt different techniques and styles
of fishing? Can we use a super-line to help prevent break-offs? There
has to be a way we can support the industry and make sure we don't
leave a mess of product in the water that could end up in a bird. So
I think it boils down to us as individuals, ask yourself What Can I
Do? I really think this issue comes down to us and if we take charge
and show we care, the radical groups will not have a leg to stand on.
I am going to experiment with new systems and presentations to see if
there is a new way I can fish more efficiently and make less of an
impact on the lake. Can we leave less out there? Oh yeah I think so,
and in the case of lead, Less is more in this case. I look at the
work Ducks Unlimited has done over the years and I just marvel at how
wonderful that organization has been and the amazing work they have
accomplished. I know if we all work together, our outdoor resources
will last for generations and continue to be a great heritage we pass
on to those coming up behind us.