Study Shows Hunting and Fishing Help People Care for Nature

A new study says that hunting and fishing for fun can make people better at taking care of the environment. This idea challenges the belief that leaving nature alone is the best way to protect it.

Dr. Samuel Shephard, who studies fish and teaches at Ave Maria University, led the research. It was published in Nature Sustainability on July 3. The study found that hunting and fishing can help people feel more connected to nature and want to protect it.

The study found that hunters and fishers understand animals better by thinking like them or reading the water. Being part of an animal's death makes people think deeply and feel responsible. Cleaning and preparing caught animals helps people understand their place in nature's food chain.

Shephard grew up in Scotland, where his family loved trout fishing. He worked with other researchers from Sweden, the Czech Republic, Germany, and New York on this study.

The researchers say that people shouldn't stay away from nature. Instead, they should get as close to it as possible, even by hunting and fishing.

This idea goes against what many people think. Fewer people approve of hunting now than in the past. But Shephard says that hunting and fishing can help people feel more connected to nature.

"It puts us in the middle of nature in a way that helps us understand it, care for it, and look after it," Shephard explains. He says that killing and eating wildlife is part of how we connect with nature.

The study also looks at how native peoples relate to their environment. It shows how they know a lot about nature because they interact with it regularly.

As people argue about the best ways to protect nature, this study offers a new view. It suggests that responsible hunting and fishing can help people feel deeply connected to the natural world.