Get the Lead Out of Fishing

Learn About the Project...

When Mike Browne was fishing with his dad, he asked "what happens to all the lead weights we lose while fishing?" His dad told him he didn't know and suggested he do some research. What Mike found shocked and saddened him. Those lead weights which land at the bottom of our ponds can be picked up by unsuspecting loons, swans and other waterfowl and swallowed. Waterfowl often swallow small stones to aid their digestion.

Animals with lead poisoning will exhibit physical and behavioral changes, such as loss of balance or tremors. This makes the animal more vulnerable to predators. Birds have trouble taking care of their young, feeding or nesting. Lead poisoning often kills the birds 2-3 weeks after ingesting the lead. This x-ray of a dead loon shows the small stones in a loon gizzard. The bright white oval shape is the lead weight that poisoned this bird.

The death does not stop there. Poisoned birds can be killed by predators such as eagles and hawks. Studies have shown that up to 52% of loons, 25% of bald eagles and 32% of trumpeter swans are killed by lead poisoning. The loon in this photo has just been hooked by some fishing gear. Note the lead weight hanging down in front. If she swallows the tackle hanging from her beak, she will probably be poisoned. Read more....

Goals of the Project

This project was originally an Eagle Scout project begun by Mike Browne. There were two goals:

• Collect and safely recycle 40 pounds of lead
• Educate 500 anglers about the dangers of lead

To do this, Mike decided that going directly to anglers was the best way to do this. Mike contacted over 40 vendors, community groups and fishing tackle manufacturers. He solicited funds from corporations. With support from the Toxic Use Reduction Institute, he researched the problem and solutions. With funding and donations, he purchased enough materials to make up nearly 800 lead-free fishing weight sample packages to distribute to anglers. He designed a brochure, insert cards and fliers. He and his team of Boy Scouts from St. Agathas Troop 5, Milton, Massachusetts, attended local fishing derbies where they talked to anglers and got them to empty their tackle boxes of dangerous lead.

Over the last year, the goals of the program have been achieved - and exceeded!

Project Achievements

Removed 8,000-10,000 sinkers

Mike and his team collected nearly 50 pounds of lead. This means that approximately 8,000-10,000 lead fishing weights have been removed from our environment and safely recycled.

Reached nearly 1000 anglers at fishing derbies

By attending fishing derbies, Mike and his team talked with nearly 1000 anglers.

Educated hundreds of thousands of anglers, lawmakers and the general public through the media

Through news stories in Field and Stream magazine, the Boston Globe newspaper, the Milton Times newspaper, video interviews with Field and Stream, and news interviews with WBZ-TV Channel 4, and various other newspapers, Internet video sources and more, Mike and his team have reached hundreds of thousands of anglers. Every interview stresses the importance of getting lead out of our environment and using safer, readily available alternatives.

Worked on laws to limit lead

Mike has presented his project at the Massachusetts State House. His research was used to help craft Massachusetts Senate Bill 466, to restrict the use of lead in recreational fishing. He testified in support of this Bill before a Senate subcommittee and will continue to work to help pass this important legislation.

Met with national and local leaders

Mike has met with local and national leaders on this project. President George Bush, United States Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne, Director of the Environmental Protection Agency Steve Johnson, and Director of United States Fish and Wildlife H. Dale Hall have all cited this project in keynote addresses. Mike has met with local, state and national political leaders. All agree on the importance of this project.

What's Next

Mike and his team would love to see other groups throughout the United States and beyond take steps to Get the Lead Out of Fishing. He is trying to set up kits that groups could order so they could educate anglers in their own neighborhoods at fishing derbies or other environmental programs. He is currently looking into getting this program funded.

Mike is also concerned about other environmental issues. Lead is all around us. Recent scares show us that lead still shows up in unexpected and dangerous places such as children's jewelry and toys. He is looking into other ways to alert people to places that lead might be lurking. Watch this web site for more information.