Launched in 2015 with financial support from WSF and others, the Wild Harvest Initiative sought to calculate, for the first time the total amount in pounds or tons of healthy, wild protein humanely harvested by sportsmen every year in the US and Canada. Keith caught up with Conservation Visions President and CEO Shane Mahoney to go over the numbers documented thus far and most importantly, how these data is being used to generate a broader public understanding and appreciation for sustainable use hunting. The sheer tonnage of wild protein consumed as meals and shared by hunters every year is staggering. It really puts into perspective the value of conservation and healthy ecosystems as nature’s pantry, as it has been for a millennium. People may not hunt or agree on hunting’s modern relevance, but no one can dismiss food as nonessential.

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