It's time to get the lead out…of your tackle box. The Wisconsin DNR says lead tackle is killing large numbers of waterfowl.

Wisconsin DNR Fisheries Supervisor Bob Hujik says lead tackle is responsible for killing about 25% of loons that die every year and is asking people to remove lead from their tackle box. But if you looked into your tackle box, would you know what is lead and what isn’t?

It's no secret that lead is toxic, but when you drop a line into the water, do you ever think about what it could do to birds.

"One of the big concerns now is that lead in the lures is killing a lot of the loons" says Hujik.

Every time the line breaks and a lead lure is lost in the water, there's a chance a bird may come across it.

Hujik says "what happens is these lead lures fall to the bottom of the lake, loons are looking for grit to help grind up their food and in picking up little pebbles and stones they're actually picking up lead lures."

Hujik says these lures then get stuck in the bird’s throat, crop and gizzard and the birds end up dying from lead poisoning. To prevent that, Hujik says anglers should check their tackle boxes for lead.

He says "it’s the lead sinker, the head of the jig, the head of spinner baits, the weighted part of any bait pretty much because lead has been in fishing tackle forever."

Hujik says there are plenty of alternative lures that can be used such as bismuth, ceramic, tin, steel, tungsten, cement and densified plastic.

But he admits the prices for these lures are a little higher. "Sinkers that are tungsten for example are over a dollar a sinker. Where lead sinkers are 10% of that cost. So the expense is greater but it's better for the environment."

Hujik says right now lead lures are not regulated but says that could change soon. According to www.wisconsinbirds.org certain lead tackle has been banned in some states already. For more information head to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency website or to the Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative website.