A new rule is now in effect in Maine to try to protect loons from lead poisoning.
Prior to 2002, lead was responsible for nearly a third of all adult loon mortality. So in 2013, Maine lawmakers passed An Act to Protect Maine Loons By Banning Lead Sinkers and Jigs.
Susan Gallo is with Maine Audubon which is part of a coalition of groups trying to encourage the purchase and use of lead-free fishing tackle. She says one provision of the law didn’t take effect until September of this year.
“And part of that is a ban on the use of bare, lead-headed jigs, 2.5 inches or less in length,” she says. “We know that lead-headed jigs end up in loon gizzards and that they’re deadly for loons. And the loons die within a couple of weeks of ingesting lead-headed jigs.”
Gallo says it’s much easier to find lead-free fishing tackle in stores now. And she says more and more anglers appear to be interested in making the switch on their own.
For a list of retailers and more information about lead-free tackle regulations, the coalition has established a website at fishleadfree.org
