2024-03-29T13:09:37Zhttp://digital.csic.es/dspace-oai/requestoai:digital.csic.es:10261/1467272022-11-23T11:42:17Zcom_10261_108com_10261_8col_10261_487
Mateo, Rafael
Vallverdú-Coll, Núria
Ortiz-Santaliestra, Manuel E.
2017-03-15T08:26:34Z
2017-03-15T08:26:34Z
2013
37th Annual Meeting of the Waterbird Society (2013)
http://hdl.handle.net/10261/146727
Lead (Pb) has been an excellent material for hunting ammunition due to its high density
and softness. Unfortunately, it is one of the most toxic heavy metals and spreading it in
the environment makes hunting an unsustainable practice. The accumulation of spent
Pb shot pellets is especially of concern in wetlands where waterbirds have been
intensively hunted. High prevalence of Pb shot ingestion in waterbirds has been detected around the world and, in consequence, an increasing number of countries
have adopted regulations to reduce the use of Pb shot in wetlands. However, the
compliance of the ban of Pb shot differs among countries and it seems to be lower in
Europe than in North America. In the Ebro delta (NE Spain), the prevalence of Pb shot
ingestion in hunted waterfowl in the 1990s was as high as 30% in Mallard Anas
platyrhynchos and 69% in Common Pochard Aythya ferina. Ten years after the
implementation of the ban of Pb shot use over protected wetlands in Spain in 2001,
these rates of Pb shot ingestion have declined to 15% and 35%, respectively. Ban
compliance by 2008 in protected lagoons of the Ebro delta was high, with ≤2% of
hunted birds with only embedded Pb shot. However, this ban was not implemented at
feeding sites in rice fields, where the ducks are still shot with Pb during full moon
nights. Game meat Pb levels in waterfowl that had ingested Pb shot and/or birds killed
with Pb ammunition in the Ebro delta were above maximum residue levels according to
EU regulation. Therefore, more strict compliance on the use of Pb shot and an
enforcement of the ban compliance can reduce game meat Pb levels by both the
decrease in Pb shot ingestion rates and Pb embedded ammunition in birds. Despite the
extensive research performed on lead poisoning, further studies on sublethal and
population effects in birds and game meat consumers may be needed to increase the
perception of Pb-related risk among hunters to favour Pb shot ban compliance.
eng
closedAccess
Lead poisoning in waterbirds: Do limitations in the perception of risk reduce the compliance of Pb shot ban?
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