(KNSI) — Stearns County is asking residents to drop off lead tackle, which is potentially hazardous to beloved wildlife like swans, bald eagles and loons. The latter is most susceptible to what is a slow and painful death.
Get the Lead Out is run by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Its website says one in five loons die from lead poisoning. They eat fish with toxic tackles already in their stomach, ingesting it by proxy. Loons sometimes swallow tackle as they try to poach bait from an angler’s line. They also use pebbles on the bottom of lake beds to aid in digestion. Sinkers and other equipment sometimes get swallowed instead.
Fishermen can drop off lead tackle for free at the Waite Park household hazardous waste facility.