A new peer-reviewed study provides the most comprehensive assessment to date of the contribution of regulated hunting to food systems in the United States.

The research, conducted under the Wild Harvest Initiative®, estimates that big game hunting produces approximately 235,760 tonnes of edible wild meat annually, equivalent to 1.39 billion meals. Replacing this volume with commercially available meat products would cost an estimated USD 3.21 billion each year.

The study also found that wild meat is generally higher in protein and lower in calories than the average mix of meat consumed in the United States. White-tailed deer account for the largest share of production, followed by wild pigs, elk and mule deer.

The authors argue that regulated hunting should be more fully recognised in discussions on food security, ecosystem services and biodiversity conservation, noting that its contribution has received relatively little attention in scientific and policy debates.

The study, The Magnitude and Economic Replacement Value of Wild Meat Obtained from Recreational Big Game Hunting in the United States, is available in People and Nature.

Link to study: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70268