The Sportsmen’s Alliance has joined forces with Conservation Visions, Inc. on a groundbreaking new scientific project to quantify the annual wild protein harvest from hunting and fishing in the US and Canada.
“For the Sportsmen’s Alliance, protecting hunting and fishing includes contributing to research that highlights the roles of hunting and fishing in food security. Seldom is it acknowledged that the activities of hunting and fishing produce local, organic, injection-free protein, in addition to all the human health benefits of being active outdoors” said President and CEO of Sportsmen’s Alliance, Nick Pinizzotto. “We pride ourselves on making decisions based on science and not emotion and propaganda. Partnering on this study is an important step to bringing people together that share a love of wild harvest, and are concerned about food security and where their food comes from.”
The Wild Harvest Initiative, a five-year project designed to accurately measure the actual biomass of wild animal protein harvested recreationally in the United States and Canada, will assess the nutritional, cultural and economic value of harvested game, as well as the ecological and financial costs of replacing this food through standard agricultural and domestic livestock production.
“The harvest and consumption of wildlife has been an integral part of the human story throughout the entirety of our existence,” said Shane Mahoney, President and CEO of Conservation Visions, and widely recognized wildlife biologist and conservationist. “Agricultural and technological progress have certainly altered the ways that we obtain our food, but in many regions of the world, including in the U.S. and Canada, human populations continue to rely on wild harvest for a significant part of their diet.”
The results of the Initiative will enable a better understanding of the economic and ecological impacts of current land management approaches and will help validate policies that lead to benefits for people, wildlife, and the natural habitats that support both. This will in turn, enable wildlife managers and policy makers to develop best practices for access to wild protein resources, and for extending benefits to as many people as possible.
The Sportsmen’s Alliance encourages all organizations interested in wild harvest to join the Wild Harvest Initiative. For more information please contact Brian Lynn, blynn@sportsmensalliance.org or Steve Gullage, steve@conservationvisions.com.
About the Sportsmen’s Alliance: The Sportsmen’s Alliance protects and defends America’s wildlife conservation programs and the pursuits – hunting, fishing and trapping – that generate the money to pay for them. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation is responsible for public education, legal defense and research. Its mission is accomplished through several distinct programs coordinated to provide the most complete defense capability possible. Stay connected to Sportsmen’s Alliance:Online, Facebook and Twitter.
