You’re probably aware that lead metal is a toxic material that has been removed from many everyday products including paint, gasoline and water pipes. Scientists have determined there is no safe amount of lead exposure for people, especially children. But did you know that lead is also harmful to wildlife?
Negative Impacts on Wildlife
Scientists have studied the impact of lead ammunition and fishing tackle on wildlife for decades. When animals ingest fragments from spent ammunition or lost fishing tackle, the lead gets absorbed into their bodies and accumulates in bones and soft tissues — often resulting in a lead overdose. This accumulation can cause wildlife to suffer from several lead poisoning symptoms from anemia, weakness, loss of fat reserves, neurological damage and increased susceptibility, to disease and organ failure. Sometimes lead poisoning can be fatal.
Scavengers like California condors, bald and golden eagles, mountain lions and black bears are especially at risk because they feed on animal remains that may contain lead fragments from ammunition. In fact, lead poisoning is the leading cause of death for the California condor and the reason this magnificent bird was at near extinction population levels in the1980’s. To underscore the lethality of lead, even a fragment as small as a grain of rice can kill an adult bald eagle.
Decisions about whether to allow lead ammunition or tackle to be used on public lands have long been guided by best-available science. Where evidence shows that the risks are minimal, use of lead is allowed. When the risks are significant, wildlife managers take targeted action.
Then and Now: Lead Regulations and Legislation
In 1991, after widespread bird fatalities were linked to lead poisoning, the federal government banned lead shot for waterfowl hunting nationwide. That decision was based on decades of scientific research, and sportspeople made the switch in the spirit of conservation. Once hunters and anglers made the switch to lead free ammunition, wildlife populations rebounded.
In 2023, the Fish and Wildlife Service identified eight refuges to implement a phase-out of lead after determining that lead ammunition and tackle were negatively affecting wildlife. The following year, FWS announced its Voluntary Lead-Free Ammunition Incentive Program at select refuges across the country, reimbursing sportspeople for the cost of lead-free ammunition.
The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 556, the “Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act,” which if made law would prohibit the Secretary of Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture from regulating the use of lead ammunition or tackle on their jurisdictional lands. While the bill includes an exception, it is an impossibly high bar to satisfy. Officials would have to prove, with site-specific data, that lead from ammunition or tackle is the primary cause of a species’ decline. If the Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture cannot regulate lead except in the rare circumstances where they can overcome the high bar of the bill's exception, they could be forced to regulate hunting or angling instead.
If they could regulate the lead, hunting and angling would continue with non-lead alternatives. Then the state must agree that the regulation of lead ammunition or tackle on federal land is necessary. Now that the bill has passed the House, we could see its companion bill in the Senate, S. 537, moved to committee for consideration in that chamber.
Bill Implications
With funding and staffing cuts, gathering site-specific data at every unit of jurisdictional land would effectively grind management to a halt. Focusing solely on whether lead is the primary cause of a species’ population decline is not wise because vulnerable species, such as those listed under the Endangered Species Act, need to be protected from even sublethal exposure to lead. Finally, requiring state approval adds another layer of delay that could prevent timely, science-based federal management. The “Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act” could also result in less access to federal lands for hunters and anglers.
Lead Alternatives
Non-lead ammunition and tackle alternatives are widely available. Copper is one of the most common materials used in non-lead ammunition. FWS has not seen declines in hunting or fishing activity attributable to non-lead requirements because the cost difference between lead and non-lead is minimal. Regulations can spur innovation and production, which would bring the cost down even further.
Switching to non-lead ammunition and tackle alternatives protects wildlife, human well-being, sportspeople and access to public lands. Don’t be fooled by the bill’s title — this is a serious issue cloaked in political spin.
Author
Taylor Rush
