Lead Sinkers Ban
Page: 18817
The Hon. JOHN TINGLE: My question without notice is addressed to the Minister responsible for Fisheries. Is the Minister aware of a proposal by the Canadian Government to ban the use of lead sinkers in fishing, to save that country's loons? Is it a fact that the annual death toll amongst Canadian loons from swallowing lead sinkers is six? If so, can the Minister assure the House that he is not likely to introduce a similar pointless sinker ban in New South Wales?
The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I thank the honourable member for this incredibly interesting question. I should first point out what a loon is. The common loon is the national bird of Canada. However, "loon" being an interchangeable term, could also be used to describe members such as the Hon. Melinda Pavey. Loons are in the family gaviidae, which in Latin means "sea smew". I am sure a number of my learned colleagues would know that smews are small crested old world ducks. I note we have already had a birdie afternoon with my colleague talking about oyster eaters.
In Europe these birds are called divers because of their superior diving abilities, and for the benefit of the Hon. Jon Jenkins, I advise that we will not be charging them for the pleasure. Loons are foot-propelled diving birds that are represented by four species in North Eurasia and North America. Loons were once thought to be related to grebes.
The Hon. Rick Colless: Greens!
The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: Grebes. But they have been found to have no relationship with any other living order of birds, and certainly not in any political sense. The earliest fossil records of a loon go back to the Palaeocene age, more than 65 million years ago—
The Hon. Patricia Forsythe: This has got nothing to do with the question.
The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I will get on to that. And since when has the Hon. Patricia Forsythe interrupted anyone in this place about relevance! The problem with the loon is that during its normal digestive process it eats rocks and small stones to help the breakdown of food—again this is similar to the rocks that are often found in the heads of The Nationals. Unfortunately, loons sometimes mistake lead fishing sinkers for stones, resulting in the loon ingesting a lead sinker or jig head and ultimately dying from lead poisoning.
Sinkers and jig heads can account for 10 to 50 per cent of loons found dead in the north-east of the United States of America and Canada. Research in New England suggests that lead ingestion may be the single greatest cause of mortality for retrieved loons. An interesting point to note is that in Canada more than 5 million people fish each year. Each year an estimated 500 tonnes of lead sinkers and jig heads are lost.
The Hon. Melinda Pavey: What recreational tax do they pay?
The Hon. IAN MACDONALD: I am not prepared to do anything in relation to loons. With loonies like the Deputy Leader of the Opposition and the Hon. Melinda Pavey we might be able to do something about it in future. Lead weights of less than 50 grams and smaller than two centimetres are the size most likely to be ingested by birds. One single sinker or jig head is enough to kill a loon. Alternative materials for fishing weights include tin, steel, bismuth, tungsten, rubber, ceramic and clay, but most are more expensive than lead. In 1987 Great Britain banned the use of lead sinkers weighing less than 28.35 grams. In the United States, lead sinkers are banned in New Hampshire, Maine and New York. I am advised that there are a number of Australian birds that have similar digestive habits, but I have not been presented with any evidence to date that suggests we have a similar problem. I acknowledge that the Hon. John Tingle spoke of six loons being killed in this way, leading to the proposal for the ban of lead sinkers in Canada. If there were evidence of such activity in Australia, we would consider a ban on the basis of science and reason.