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Vermont Fish & Wildlife tells Senate panel hunting and fishing support food security and mental health
Summary
Department of Fish and Wildlife witnesses told the Senate Health & Welfare Committee that regulated hunting and fishing provide nutritional, mental-health and cost-avoidance benefits to Vermonters, citing participation figures and programs that direct wild meat to food shelves; no legislative ask was made.
Jason Batchelder, a Fish and Wildlife official, and Charles Martin, deputy secretary at the Agency of Natural Resources, told the Senate Health and Welfare Committee on Jan. 27 that Vermont’s hunting and fishing programs deliver measurable food-security and mental-health benefits while supporting conservation goals. "Protecting Vermont's fish, wildlife and plants is our charge," Batchelder said, adding that for many residents hunting and fishing remain reliable sources of protein and community connection.
Batchelder said participation remains strong among current hunters and anglers and cited an estimated 109,000 Vermonters who hunt or fish — roughly one in six residents. He described license costs as modest ("pennies a day" if purchased early in the season) and argued that regulated harvest can translate into meaningful household food value. Charles Martin offered a conservative statewide cost-avoidance estimate, saying the department’s analysis points to roughly $6.6 million in avoided grocery expenses when harvested wild meat is counted as household food value, while cautioning against overstating monetary equivalence.
The witnesses described programs that expand access and distribute wild meat to households in need. Batchelder detailed a roadkill-processing initiative run by regional wardens that accepts donated animals, packages meat and distributes it to food shelves. He said the program has processed and given away hundreds of pounds of meat during organized "cutting days." The department also runs outreach such as fishing clinics, a community fishing festival in Elmore and partnerships with Vermont Wild Kitchen and university extension programs to teach harvesting, preparation and conservation.
Committee members asked about the licensing fund and revenues. Batchelder said license-sales figures can be misleading because one-time lifetime licenses and other investments complicate year-over-year comparisons; he said license sales contribute roughly one-third of departmental funding and cited recent figures of about $33 million in related funding with approximately $10 million from annual license sales in a recent year.
The witnesses said they had no legislative ask at this hearing; Martin urged that investments in state lands and the department are also investments in food security for rural Vermonters. The committee thanked the presenters and will not take immediate legislative action on the briefing.
