Hunters and Anglers have the opportunity to play a key role in helping to keep fish, birds, and mammals safe from lead poisoning. If you’re not a hunter or angler, you can still help keep lead away from people and wildlife.
For over a century, scientific data has shown lead based ammunition and fishing tackle have had negative effects on wildlife throughout the world. Once in the environment, it persists for hundreds of years. According to the American Bird Conservancy, over 16 million birds are poisoned by lead every year.
When you sign up for the Get the Lead Out Toolkit, you’ll receive everything you need to start protecting wildlife and waters from harmful lead pollution. The kit includes a step-by-step guide on how to safely dispose of lead tackle, instructions for building a collection container, and ideas for spreading awareness in your community. You’ll also get a poster and sticker to help label your container and share the message with others. Together, these resources make it easy to take action and keep loons, eagles, turtles, and other wildlife safe.
You'll immediately get an electronic version, and a mailed version with the sticker and poster will be mailed to you in a few weeks.
Lead poisoning in Wisconsin
Eagles, loons, swans, and other species will pick up pieces of the toxic metal left behind from bullets or fishing gear, some pieces as small as a grain of rice. Wildlife will scavenge on gut piles, discarded carcasses and unrecovered game ingesting these tiny lead fragments. And just like humans, they face dire health consequences from lead exposure. Lead bioaccumulates, or collects over time in animal tissues and bone. This bioaccumulation causes lead-poisoned animals and birds to succumb to starvation and disease, and renders them more prone to trauma or predation. Lead has been called a “silent killer” for this reason. Even a single lead split shot can be lethal to a twelve‑pound loon, highlighting how deadly lead fishing sinkers and jigs can be to wildlife that mistake them for food or grit.
According to Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, each year in the US, 10-20 million animals die from lead poisoning.
- Here are some key concerns about lead and wildlife:
Bald Eagles and Lead: A recent study of bald and golden eagles across the U.S. found that almost half of them suffered from chronic lead poisoning — and that lead was suppressing their population growth. - In a DNR study from 2009, toxicologist Sean Strom and his team found that lead also poses a major threat for trumpeter swans and common loons.
- Lead fishing tackle doesn’t just kill birds —it can also poison other water creatures including otters, raccoons, snapping turtles and other reptiles when they ingest or scavenge contaminated prey, according to the Wildlife Society.
- Lead poisoning impacts humans as well-- lead bullet fragments can contaminate the meat that people consume, posing a risk of lead exposure.
Learn more about lead and wildlife here: Factsheet by Wildlife Team Member Kerry Beheler | Wisconsin Green Fire report on Lead in Birds | Southern Wisconsin Bird Alliance | Lead it Go! Film | Sporting Lead Free
Lead poisoning is 100% preventable and can be eliminated.
According to researchers from the Washington Common Loon Conservation Project, mortality from ingested lead in common loons in Washington dropped from 38 percent during the period 1996–2010 to nearly zero after lead tackle restrictions went into effect in 2011.
The transition away from lead fishing tackle and hunting ammunition will take time. In the meantime, here is how you can start reducing lead pollution today:
- Switch to non-lead tackle and ammunition - By making informed choices while enjoying the natural resources , hunters and anglers can reduce lead poisoning by opting for lead-free fishing tackle and purchasing ammunition alternatives like tungsten, steel, bismuth, glass, ceramic, and tin.
- Properly dispose of lead tackle- You can recycle it at many tackle shops or hazardous waste facilities. There are often tackle exchange programs and events you can bring your lead tackle for an easy switch
- Encourage retailers to stock non-lead options - Ask local stores to carry lead alternatives so they’re easy to find.
- Pick up lost tackle and other litter - Walk shorelands, waters, and other natural spaces and pick up litter and stranded tackle that wildlife could consume.
- Set up a collection container- The toolkit includes instructions on how to build a collection container for lead tackle. This will help ensure safe disposal so it’s not left in the environment, and educate others who visit the area with the container.
- Spread the word: Many don’t know about the problems that lead pollution causes to the environment. You can help others learn by:
- Writing a letter to the editor to your local paper
- Posting on social media and sharing information
- Watch and share Lead It Go! on YouTube by The Peregrine Fund
If you’re interested in getting more involved with the Sierra Club’s Wildlife Team to help with this work, contact Heather Wittrock at heather.wittrock@sierraclub.org.