Hunting and Game Consumption Patterns of Hunters in South Carolina

Journal Article · Wed Dec 20 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3996/032017-jfwm-028· OSTI ID:1841585

Smith, Joshua B. ^[1]; Tuberville, Tracey D. ^[2]; Beasley, James C. ^[2]

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1. Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Lab. (SREL); SREL
2. Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River Ecology Lab. (SREL)

Scarcity of site-specific consumption rates for use in contaminant exposure modeling has resulted in a lack of formal guidance for assessing risk of exposure to contaminants via consumption of wild game in the United States. Consequently, numerical estimation of what species hunters harvest, consume, and share is important for human health risk assessment, especially in areas with elevated risk of contaminant exposure. Here, to address these information gaps, we designed and administered questionnaires to 260 hunters at two hunting expos in South Carolina and inquired about their harvesting, sharing, and consumption habits with respect to wild game and wild fish. Of the 11 game and fish we included in our survey, respondents reported hunting and consuming an average of 5.3 and sharing 3.5. We found a significant difference in number of wild game and fish meals eaten per year across a rural–urban gradient, with respondents from low population density counties consuming more than those from medium or high population density counties. Additionally, hunters in our survey reported sharing a considerable portion of the game they procure, and often consume more fish and game than they hunt. Thus, future surveys would benefit from asking more directed questions related to who is receiving harvested game and portion size shared. Additionally, 90% of surveyed hunters also reported consuming fish. Thus, our results also highlight the importance of considering cumulative wild game and fish consumption in future risk assessment analysis for the southeastern United States and other comparable populations, especially for high-risk groups such as children and pregnant women.

• Research Organization: Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (SREL), Aiken, SC (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Environmental Management (EM)
• Grant/Contract Number: FC09-07SR22506
• OSTI ID: 1841585
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1542039
• Journal Information: Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management, Journal Name: Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 9; ISSN 1944-687X
• Publisher: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
contaminants
game consumption patterns
game sharing
hunters
hunting patterns
risk assessment analysis
urban–rural