NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
March 26, 2013
Contact: Michelle Smith
Communications & Marketing Manager
msmith@maineaudubon.org
(207) 781-6180 x209
Maine Audubon Seeks to Reduce Loon Mortality at Hearing on Thursday
Lead poisoning from lead sinkers and lead-headed jigs is the leading cause of death for adult loons
AUGUSTA – Maine Audubon is working to reduce loon mortality caused by lead poisoning by supporting
the passage of LD 730, An Act to Protect Maine’s Loons by Banning Lead Sinkers and Jigs. Sponsored
by Senator Anne Haskell (Cumberland), the bill would ban the use and sale of lead sinkers one ounce or
less, as well as lead-headed jigs 2.5” long or less. The public hearing is scheduled for Thursday, March
28, at 1 pm at the State House in Augusta (Cross Building, Room 206).
Lead poisoning is the leading cause of death of adult loons in Maine. It is responsible for close to one
third of the documented mortality over the past 25 years. For every two loons that die in Maine from
natural causes like illness or disease, one loon dies from ingesting a small lead sinker or jig-head. Adult
loons catch fish with lead sinkers and jigs attached or they pick up lead objects while eating gravel they
need from lake bottoms (see attached photo). A sinker is a weight clipped onto a fishing line and a jig is a
hook with an embedded weight, usually at the top near the eye.
Susan Gallo, wildlife biologist with Maine Audubon, noted that the current ban on the sale of lead sinkers
one-half ounce or less (which went into effect in 2002), has made a big difference in the availability of
nontoxic alternatives to lead sinkers at retailers. Despite this success, however, small lead sinkers are still
finding their way into Maine’s loons. “More loons died from lead poisoning in the eleven years after the
current ban on the sale of small lead sinkers went into effect, compared to the eleven years before the
ban,” said Gallo. The lead objects causing those deaths included both lead sinkers as well as leadheaded jigs.
Gallo further notes that although she has seen a slow, steady increase in the adult loon population, the
number of chicks successfully reared in Maine has not significantly changed since 1983. “Adult loons can
live 25-30 years, and they don’t usually breed until they are at least seven years old. The stagnant
production of chicks is alarming when we look at the long-term sustainability of our adult loon population.
By banning the use and sale of lead sinkers and jigs within the size range specified in LD 730 – those that
we have documented are killing the majority of adults every summer - we have a real opportunity to help
loons survive through the breeding season and successfully raise their chicks.”
“Loon mortality due to lead poisoning is not just a Maine phenomenon,” noted Dr. Mark Pokras, DVM,
Associate Professor of Wildlife Medicine at Tufts University Cummings, School of Veterinary Medicine, in
North Grafton, Massachusetts. Dr. Pokras and his team have been studying the causes of death of loons
since 1987. “We have seen a consistent rate of mortality due to lead poisoning (close to one-third of all
mortality) in many northern states, including New Hampshire, New York, Vermont, Washington, Michigan
and Minnesota, as well as Nova Scotia and Ontario, Canada. Maine has the opportunity to take a
leadership role in the protection of loons by passing LD 730.” New Hampshire, New York, Vermont,
Massachusetts and Washington currently have partial bans lead sinkers and/or jigs.
Senator Anne Haskell, sponsor of LD 730, noted that there are lead-free jig and sinker alternatives
available online and via retailers that are safe and nontoxic to wildlife and people. “We have the
opportunity here to decrease this human-caused mortality and help protect Maine’s loons, one of our
state’s wildlife treasures. This is an easy fix,” said Haskell.
Maine Audubon invites supporters of LD 730 to attend the public hearing on Thursday, March 28 at 1 pm
in the Cross Building (Room 206) at the Augusta State House, and to contact members of the Inland
Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. For more information, please visit www.maineaudubon.org/act.
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About Maine Audubon
A trusted leader for over 160 years, Maine Audubon’s science-based approach to conservation,
education and advocacy advances wildlife and wildlife habitat conservation throughout the state of Maine.
The largest wildlife conservation organization in the state, Maine Audubon has eight centers and wildlife
sanctuaries and serves over 50,000 people annually, with 15,000 members and 2,000 volunteers to
support its endeavors.
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