Loon on North Okanagan lake died of lead poisoning
A conservation group in the North Okanagan is calling for a ban on the use of lead weights in fishing, after a B.C. veterinarian confirmed that a loon on Gardom Lake died of lead poisoning in June due to a sinker in its stomach.
Victoria Bowes, avian veterinarian pathologist at the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture's animal health centre in Abbotsford, conducted the autopsy of the loon and confirmed the cause of the bird's death.
A fishing line and a spinner were also found in the loon's stomach, but they're not the factors that killed the bird.
Stop using lead weights
Elizabeth Winter, president of Gardom Lake Stewardship Society, lives by the lake and has been watching the male loon and his mate nesting over the past several years. She learned from her mother that the bird's body was found on the shore on June 4.
A member of the society immediately arranged to freeze the bird's body and shipped it for an autopsy.
Winter said she was surprised by the autopsy finding.
"I didn't realize that [lead poisoning] was the common cause of death for loons," she said to Brady Strachan, sit-in host of Daybreak South.
Winter said it's been a "learning experience" for her to realize that fishers are still using lead weights. She hopes people will stop using these tools and refrain from trolling their fishing tackle when loons are nearby.
"It would be beneficial to our lake if we fly [fish] only ... It's important to think about for the future of our loon. We now have one and we'd like to keep that one, at least."
Female loon singing mournful songs
Winter was referring to the female loon that has been singing mournful songs since her partner's death. She said she worries about the longevity of resident loons on Gardom Lake.
"I'm very concerned about maintaining [the female's] health and hoping that she'd find a new partner when she travels to the coast in the winter."
Winter said she and her husband enjoyed watching the loon couple as they nested their offspring.
"We've watched them sit[ting] on their nests through rain and hail and sunshine, and watched their babies grow[ing] ... they're very dedicated parents."
