I'm sure we've all heard the saying "take only photographs and leave only footprints" when enjoying nature, but for thousands of hunters and anglers, what they leave behind can have a devastating effect on our wildlife for years to come.

  Every year in Canada, thousands of ducks and other birds die from lead poisoning.   These animals get poisoned by eating lead shotgun pellets and lead fishing sinkers and jigs that have fallen into their feeding grounds.

  It is estimated that, each year, Canadian hunters shoot about 1200 tonnes of lead shot into the environment and that anglers lose approximately 500 tonnes of lead sinkers and jigs in Canadian waters. 

  Many ducks and other water birds get their food by digging in the mud at the bottom of lakes and wetlands.  These birds will often ingest sinkers and shot accidentally or because they think it is food or grit.

  In Canada, the species most commonly poisoned by lead shot are Mallards, Black Ducks, Northern Pintails, and Tundra Swans.  Up to half of all the Common Loons found dead in North America died from eating a lead sinker or jig.

  If a bird swallows about 6 lead pellets, it will suffer from acute lead poisoning and it will die within a few days.  If it ingests lead in smaller amounts, then it will suffer from chronic lead poisoning, gradually become very weak, and slowly die from starvation.  Even if a bird doesn't swallow enough lead to kill it, it can still suffer from behavioral and physical changes that affect how it finds food, mates, build a nest, or cares for its young.

  Waterfowl are not the only birds at risk.  Shorebirds that feed in areas used by hunters may swallow lead shot.  Birds of prey and scavengers can also get lead poisoning by eating prey that has lead shot imbedded in their flesh.

  Lead shot and sinkers generally take decades to break down in the environment.  This means that animals can be poisoned long after the shot or sinkers first fell to the ground or water and that lead poisoning can still be a cause of many waterfowl deaths long after lead has been banned for use in shot and sinkers.

  Canada has taken several steps to help reduce the amount of lead being put into the environment.  The use of lead fishing sinkers and jigs weighing less than 50 grams (the size most often ingested by waterfowl) is prohibited while fishing in national wildlife areas and national parks, and the use of lead shot is prohibited for hunting most migratory game birds in all areas of Canada.

  But are these restrictions enough?  Lead shot is still commonly used for hunting mammals, even in areas near water.  You can still go to the store and buy lead sinkers and jigs for fishing in your local lake.  Thousands of animals still die each year from lead poisoning.

  Several non-toxic shot alternatives have been developed and approved for use in Canada, including bismuth, steel, tin, tungsten-iron, tungsten-matrix, and tungsten-polymer.  There is also a wide variety of non-toxic alternatives to lead fishing sinkers and jigs, including bismuth, clay, steel, tin, glass, tungsten beads, and putty.

  These non-toxic alternatives cost a little more than their lead equivalents, but once demand for them has increased, there should be a reduction in price.  When replacing your lead tackle and shot with non-toxic alternatives, you should dispose of the lead products at your local hazardous waste depot.

  The current government regulations don't do enough to reduce the impact of lead on our wildlife.  As users and stewards of this resource, we need to voluntarily take the steps to reduce our impact on the environment.  The best way for each of us to do that is to choose not to use lead products while we are out enjoying nature.

The above article is courtesy of The Muskoka Heritage Foundation.  For more information on the Muskoka Heritage Foundation contact  heritage@muskoka.com