Transfer Stations

How Can Transfer Stations Help Protect Loons?

Transfer stations are playing an increasingly important role in protecting New Hampshire’s loons and other wildlife from lead fishing tackle. By helping to educate anglers and providing a convenient place to safely dispose of old lead sinkers and jigs, our partner transfer stations help keep this toxic tackle out of tackle boxes, the environment, and, ultimately, out of loons and other wildlife, preventing unnecessary deaths.

Lead poisoning resulting from tackle ingestion has been the leading cause of documented adult loon mortality in New Hampshire. LPC’s data has shown that the majority of loon deaths from lead fishing tackle have come from tackle that is in active use—they either ingested a fish that broke an angler’s line, struck at a piece of tackle being reeled past them in the water (mistaking it for a fish or aquatic insect moving through the water), or struck at a fish on an angler’s line.

The best thing we can do to protect loons from this unnatural and unnecessary cause of death is to educate the public and provide easy opportunities for responsible lead tackle disposal. As frequently-visited community locations, transfer stations provide an important opportunity for repeated messaging and safe tackle disposal. LPC partners with transfer stations across the state, providing a lead tackle collection receptacle and an educational sign to partners.

Participating Transfer Stations

Why is Lead Such a Problem for Loons?

Common Loons are a fish-eating species, and they may accidentally ingest fishing tackle by consuming a fish that has broken an angler’s line or by striking at a piece of tackle or at a hooked fish being reeled past them in the water. In any of those scenarios, if the angler is using lead, the loon will consume the lead. Lead tackle ingestion is nearly always fatal for loons.

Loons reproduce slowly. Most will not produce chicks for the first time until they are 6-7 years old, and the average New Hampshire pair fledges just one chick every two years. Because of this slow rate of reproduction, adult survival is critical for loons. When large numbers of adult loons die from preventable causes such as lead poisoning, it can affect the stability of the population. In New Hampshire, adult lead tackle mortalities have occurred frequently enough to slow the recovery of our threatened loon population.

It’s not just loons that are affected by lead fishing tackle. More than 30 other species, including Bald Eagles, Wood Ducks, and Common Mergansers, have been documented to ingest lead tackle. Because of its impacts on loons and other wildlife, the sale and freshwater use of lead sinkers and lead-
headed jigs weighing one ounce or less is banned in New Hampshire. However, old tackle boxes are often passed down generationally, and as a result, tackle purchased prior to the ban remains in active use across New Hampshire’s lakes. Tackle is also regulated on a state-by-state basis, which means that visitors to our state may bring lead tackle, purchased legally in their state, with them, and they may not realize that this tackle is illegal to use on our lakes. That’s where our transfer station partners come in—as frequently-visited community locations, transfer stations provide an exciting and important opportunity for repeated educational messaging about this issue, and they are excellent locations for lead tackle disposal.

How to Participate

The Loon Preservation Committee hopes to expand this lead tackle collection program. We welcome additional transfer stations to participate.

Participating stations will receive:

1) A wall-mountable informational sign (18 x 24 inches) explaining the threat that lead tackle poses
to loons and other wildlife and encouraging responsible tackle disposal
2) A secure lead tackle collection receptacle, to be mounted in close proximity to the sign
3) Annual pickup of collected tackle by staff from the Loon Preservation Committee (likely each
December)

If your transfer station is interested in participating in this program, please contact:

Caroline Hughes
Outreach Biologist
Loon Preservation Committee
Phone: (603) 476-5666 ext. 19
Email: chughes@loon.org

Thank you for considering being part of this program. Your partnership can make a meaningful difference in reducing loon deaths caused by lead tackle ingestion while also helping to educate residents of your community about responsible fishing practices. Thank you for your continued work in serving New Hampshire communities and protecting our environment.

Loon Preservation Committee
PO Box 604
Lee’s Mills Rd
Moultonborough, NH 03254
Phone: 603-476-5666
Email: volunteers@loon.org