It’s Time to Make the Switch to Lead-Free Tackle

Lead Kills

Lead poisoning from lead fishing tackle is a leading cause of death of common loons everywhere.

A single lead sinker weighing a half-ounce or less will kill an adult loon in two to four weeks.

Yet wildlife deaths from lead poisoning are 100 percent preventable if individuals make the switch to lead-free tackle.

You Can Make a Difference

Know the Facts About Tackle

Unless a package says “Contains no lead,” it should be assumed that all tackle could contain lead. Painted jigs are not safer - a bird’s gizzard will break the paint down along with the metal beneath it. For loons and most freshwater wildlife, tackle weighing up to one ounce and measuring up to 2.5 inches is of the highest concern.

Make the Switch - And Talk About It

Turn in lead tackle to the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation or a participating tackle shop (see the list below). Then purchase lead-free alternatives like tungsten, bismuth, steel or tin. Talk about it to your friends and neighbors, and tell your local tackle shop that you want to see more lead-free options.

Take Action - Join a Program

Scroll below to find out how to become a Tackle Box Ambassador to help anglers in your community learn about the dangers of lead to wildlife and to help them inventory their tackle boxes to get rid of lead. Or schedule a kids’ presentation in your community.

Lead-Free Tackle Programs

Become A Tackle Box Ambassador

The goal of the Tackle Box Ambassador Program is to leverage personal relationships and community ties to educate others about the dangers of lead fishing tackle to loons and other wildlife.

Tackle Box Ambassadors are volunteers who are trained to talk about how lead threatens the health of wildlife and how to identify different types of lead tackle. Ambassadors are provided with educational materials and supplies to help them offer tackle box inventories to interested anglers, assisting them in sorting through their tackle kits and identifying types of lead tackle. For anglers who turn in lead tackle for recycling, ambassadors will provide them with free samples of lead-free tackle and a $10 voucher to use at participating tackle shops for more lead-free tackle.

Trainings will be offered periodically and will appear on our Events page and in our newsletter.

Read more about the development of the Tackle Box Ambassador Program on our blog.

To learn more, email leadfree@adkloon.org.

Start Early: Kids’ Lead-Free Tackle Boxes Program

We know that safe habits stick when we learn them early on in life.

Our Kids’ Lead-Free Tackle Box Program offers a fun, interactive lesson about the dangers of lead fishing tackle for wildlife and a game to help young minds understand how lead fishing tackle ends up in a loon. At the end of the presentation, kids receive a lead-free tackle box full of assorted and safe tackle to help young anglers get started.

To schedule a Kids’ Lead-Free Tackle Box program for your school, camp or organization, please email leadfree@adkloon.org. Sessions can be between 30-60 minutes long and are free.

This project is generously supported by Maintain the Chain.

ACLC phased out its Lead Tackle Buy Back Program in 2025. Now, anglers can receive $10 vouchers to purchase lead-free tackle at the Loon Center when they turn in lead tackle or at a Tackle Box Inventory event. Vouchers can be redeemed in person at the following tackle shops.

Participating Tackle Shops

Purchase Lead-Free Tackle

Most companies produce lead-free tackle options. Some companies have committed to producing only lead-free tackle. Telling tackle shop owners and employees that you want to purchase lead-free tackle is a way to encourage them to supply more lead-free options from companies committed to producing safer tackle for people and wildlife.

More Resources