Poisoning from lead gunshot: still a threat to wild waterbirds in Britain

Newth, Julia L.; Cromie, Ruth; Brown, Martin J.; Delahay, Richard J.; Meharg, Andrew A.; Deacon, Claire; Norton, Gareth J.; O'Brien, Michelle; Pain, Deborah J.

doi:10.1007/s10344-012-0666-7

Cited by 37 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 35 publications

(55 reference statements)

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“…Similarly, Newth et al . () found that 23% of Bewick's Swans found dead while wintering in Britain between 1971 and 2012 had died of lead poisoning. A recent study by Green and Pain () found a correlation between duck population trends and relative ingestion of lead, suggesting that lead poisoning can have population‐level impacts on waterbirds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The presence of embedded ammunition within 31% of Bewick's Swans x-rayed on the winter grounds in Britain between the winters of 1970/71 and 2008/ 09, despite full legal protection across the flyway, suggests that illegal shooting is likely to have an impact on Bewick's Swan survival (Newth et al 2011). Similarly, Newth et al (2013) found that 23% of Bewick's Swans found dead while wintering in Britain between 1971 and 2012 had died of lead poisoning. A recent study by Green and Pain (2016) found a correlation between duck population trends and relative ingestion of lead, suggesting that lead poisoning can have population-level impacts on waterbirds.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Apparent survival of an Arctic‐breeding migratory bird over 44 years of fluctuating population size

Wood

Nuijten

Newth

et al. 2017

Ibis

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Following increases in numbers during the second half of the 20th century, several Arctic‐breeding migrant bird species are now undergoing sustained population declines. These include the northwest European population of Bewick's Swan Cygnus columbianus bewickii, which declined from c. 29 000 birds on the wintering grounds in 1995 to 18 000 in 2010. It is unclear whether this decrease reflects reduced survival, emigration to a different area, or a combination of both. Furthermore, the environmental drivers of any demographic changes are also unknown. We therefore used an information‐theoretic approach in RMark to analyse a dataset of 3929 individually marked and resighted Bewick's Swans to assess temporal trends and drivers of survival between the winters of 1970/71 and 2014/2015, while accounting for effects of age, sex and different marker types. The temporal trend in apparent survival rates over our study period was best explained by different survival rates for each decade, with geometric mean survival rates highest in the 1980s (leg‐ring marked birds = 0.853, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.830–0.873) and lowest in the 2010s (leg‐ring = 0.773, 95% CI 0.738–0.805; neck‐collar = 0.725, 95% CI 0.681–0.764). Mean (±95% CI) resighting probabilities over the study period were higher for birds marked with neck‐collars (0.91 ± 0.01) than for those marked with leg‐rings (0.70 ± 0.02). Weather conditions in different areas across the flyway, food resources on the winter grounds, density‐dependence and the growth of numbers at a relatively new wintering site (the Evros Delta in Greece) all performed poorly as explanatory variables of apparent survival. None of our 18 covariates accounted for more than 7.2% of the deviance associated with our survival models, with a mean of only 2.2% of deviance explained. Our results provide long‐term demographic information needed to help conservationists understand the population dynamics of Bewick's Swans in northwest Europe.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Apparent survival of an Arctic‐breeding migratory bird over 44 years of fluctuating population size

Wood

Nuijten

Newth

et al. 2017

Ibis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Nearly all birds of prey scavenge, including eagles, owls, hawks, falcons, and vultures; therefore, there is potential for these and other species to be poisoned by lead (T. Katzner, personal observation; Jackowski et al ). Likewise, upland game birds and waterfowl ingest spent shotgun shot as grit (e.g., Keel et al , Walter and Reese , Newth et al , Haig et al ). Many species of waterbirds can be exposed to lead via intentionally or unintentionally discarded fishing tackle (e.g., Locke et al ).…”

Section: Lead Ingestion By Raptorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Guidelines for evaluation and treatment of lead poisoning of wild raptors

et al. 2017

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Lead poisoning is a threat to birds, particularly scavenging birds of prey. With the availability of portable lead-testing kits, an increasing number of field researchers are testing wild-caught birds, in situ, for lead poisoning. We describe guidelines for evaluation of lead toxicity in wild raptors by outlining field testing of blood-lead concentrations, presenting criteria for removing a lead-poisoned bird from the wild for treatment, and suggesting strategies for effective treatment of lead intoxicated raptors. Field testing of birds is most commonly accomplished via portable electrochemical analysis of blood; visual observation of condition alone may provide insufficient evidence upon which to make a decision about lead poisoning. Our intended audience is not only the avian research community, but also rehabilitation facilities that may receive apparently uninjured birds. Best practices suggest that birds whose blood-lead levels are <40 mg/dL be released back to the wild as soon as possible after capture. The decision to release or treat birds with bloodlead levels between 40 mg/dL and 60 mg/dL should be made based on the presence of clinical signs of poisoning and relevant biological characteristics (e.g., breeding status). Finally, birds with blood-lead levels >60 mg/dL are potentially lethally poisoned and best served if removed from the wild for appropriate treatment at a licensed rehabilitation facility and later released. We present guidelines for decision-making when treating lead poisoning of wild raptors. Future work based on experimental studies will clarify the role of lead poisoning for specific species and be important to refine these guidelines to improve effectiveness.

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“…Following implementation of lead tackle restrictions in the United Kingdom, there was a rapid decline in lead mortality among the mute swan ( Cygnus olor ) population (Sears and Hunt , Kirby et al , Newth et al ). Our data indicate that restrictions on the use of non‐toxic lead tackle would have similar immediate benefits to loons.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Population‐level effects of lead fishing tackle on common loons

et al. 2017

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Poisoning from lead fishing tackle has been identified as the leading cause of mortality in adult common loons (Gavia immer). As a K-selected species, adult survival is a critical component in the population demography of loons, but the population-level effects of mortality from ingested lead tackle on loons have not been quantified. We used a long-term dataset on common loon mortality in New Hampshire, USA, to describe the types of lead tackle ingested by loons, investigate methods of ingestion of lead tackle, document the number and rate of adult mortalities resulting from lead tackle, and test for a population-level effect of lead tackle on the loon population in New Hampshire. Nearly half (48.6%) of collected adult mortalities resulted from lead toxicosis from ingested lead fishing tackle, representing an adjusted annual mortality rate of 1.7 AE 0.6% (SD) of the statewide population. Jigs accounted for 52.6% and sinkers for 38.8% of the archived lead tackle objects removed from loons, a higher proportion of jigs than has been reported in previous studies. The timing of lead tackle mortalities and a high incidence of accompanying non-lead associated fishing gear (hooks, fishing line, leaders, swivels, wire), which peaked in July and August, suggest that loons obtain the majority of lead tackle from current fishing activity rather than from a reservoir of lead tackle on lake bottoms. To project the statewide loon population in the absence of lead fishing tackle as a stressor, we constructed a retrospective population model, which re-inserted loons that died from lead tackle into the population, and used linear regression to test for a population-level effect. We defined a populationlevel effect as a difference in the population growth rate (l). We estimated that lead tackle mortality reduced the population growth rate (l) by 1.4% and the statewide population by 43% during the years of the study. This study suggests that replacing lead fishing sinkers and jigs weighing 28.4 g with non-toxic alternatives would result in an immediate benefit to the loon population in New Hampshire. Ó 2017 The Wildlife Society.

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Poisoning from lead gunshot: still a threat to wild waterbirds in Britain

Cited by 37 publications

References 35 publications

Apparent survival of an Arctic‐breeding migratory bird over 44 years of fluctuating population size

Apparent survival of an Arctic‐breeding migratory bird over 44 years of fluctuating population size

Guidelines for evaluation and treatment of lead poisoning of wild raptors

Population‐level effects of lead fishing tackle on common loons

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