A ban on lead tackle in New Hampshire goes into effect Wednesday to help protect loons and other bird species in the Granite state.
Harry Vogel is a senior biologist and executive director at the Loon Preservation Committee. He calls the law one of the toughest of its kind in the nation. The law goes beyond use to include sales and also covers sinkers up to an ounce — more far reaching than most other states. Vogel says lead tackle was the largest cause of loon mortality in New Hampshire, with the state losing 124 loons from 1989 to 2011 due to lead sinkers.
Vogel says the challenge will be enforcing the law and educating anglers about the new regulations and alternatives available such as steel and tin sinkers.
