AUGUSTA - The Legislature's Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee voted Wednesday to advance legislation sponsored by Rep. Allison Hepler, D-Woolwich, to expand protections for Maine loons and other waterfowl by prohibiting the sale and use of certain painted lead fishing tackle, which can be fatal for these species.
LD 958 builds on previous legislation that phased out unpainted small-sized lead jigs. The bill would prohibit the sale of painted lead jigs weighing one ounce or less, or measuring two and a half inches or less, by Sept. 1, 2024. It would also ban their use by Sept. 1, 2026.
"Protecting our wildlife is an essential component of our state's shared commitment to conservation," said Hepler. "Mainers care deeply about our iconic species and are eager to support initiatives like this one to help protect Common Loons. This bill is an opportunity to tackle this loophole and put an end to these avoidable deaths."
According to a Maine Audubon study, poisoning from lead fishing tackle was responsible for close to one-third of the documented adult loon mortality over a 25-year span. In 2020, Maine Audubon and the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife launched a lead tackle buyback program in which participating retailers provide $10 store vouchers to anglers who turn in at least one ounce of lead tackle.
The bill received substantial support from the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization, the Natural Resources Council of Maine, Maine Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, Maine Rivers and Maine Lakes, among others. Additional testimony can be found here.
"LD 958 is needed because loons inadvertently ingest lead tackle, which causes health problems and eventually kills them," said Reid Anderson, president of the Maine Wilderness Guides Organization and a Registered Maine Guide. "There are alternative tackle types that do not cause these lethal effects. [This bill] takes a reasonable approach to closing a loophole in the law and banning the use and sale of painted lead jigs of a certain size. It limits the size range to painted lead jigs that are ingestible by loons, and it phases in the ban over time. We believe this is a fair and common-sense piece of legislation that will go a long way in protecting loons and other waterfowl."
The bill will move to the full Legislature for consideration in the coming weeks.
Hepler is the House chair of the Marine Resources Committee, and is a member of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee as well as the Inland Fisheries and Wildlife Committee. She is serving her third term in the Maine House, and represents Arrowsic, Georgetown, Phippsburg, West Bath and Woolwich.
Contact:
Brian Lee [Hepler], c. 305-965-2744