Boone and Crockett Club Research Identifies Dark Figure and Conservation Cost of Poaching

At a press conference held in Washington, DC, today, the Boone and Crockett Club announced the findings of the most comprehensive research project on poaching in this country. Using a Bayesian statistical framework, the Poach and Pay research determined that only about 4% of poaching incidents are detected. Setting a conservative estimate of what criminologists refer to as the “Dark Figure” of crimes that are undetected or unreported at 95%, the research found that the minimum conservation cost of poaching through lost fines and replacement costs for animals is $1.4 billion annually. The research also outlines the results of detailed interviews with stakeholders, typologies of poachers, barriers to prosecution of wildlife crime, and outlines specific actions that can be taken to reduce the amount of poaching in this country. The Boone and Crockett Club and partners will continue the Poach and Pay project to implement these actions with the goal of reducing the Dark Figure of poaching.

“We have long known that poaching is a major problem in the United States, but we didn’t truly understand the magnitude of the problem until this Poach and Pay research,” noted Boone and Crockett Club chief executive officer Tony A. Schoonen in his comments at the press conference. “With this defensible assessment of the Dark Figure, we can clearly describe the conservation cost of poaching and prove that poaching is not a victimless crime—not only do we lose individual wildlife, we are also losing a valuable public resource with a high cost.”

The Poach and Pay research involved extensive surveys of fish and wildlife agency law enforcement officers, hunters, landowners, and convicted poachers, as well as interviews and focus groups with prosecutors and judges. Researchers also conducted a literature review and utilized survey and interview data to develop a better understanding of the typologies and motivations behind illegal wildlife activities. After accumulating this data, the researchers used a Bayesian statistical framework to estimate the detection rates of illegal take using diverse datasets from various published research papers, along with citation, hunter, and officer numbers, survey responses from perpetrators, enforcement statistics, hunter landowner reporting, and wildlife telemetry studies. Using criminology theory, the research also provides specific policy and outreach recommendations to help reduce the amount of illegal wildlife crime in this country.

“It’s critical to differentiate between legal, Fair Chase hunters and poachers,” Schoonen concluded. “By quantifying the Dark Figure of undetected crime, identifying judicial bottlenecks, and presenting a structured deterrent framework, the research equips state and federal wildlife agencies with data-driven strategies to reduce illegal take and protect America’s wildlife heritage.”

Poach and Pay Statistics

Poach and Pay Major Findings

Poach and Pay Final Report

A complete overview of the research can be found here.

This research was funded by the Multistate Conservation Grant Program (Grant: F22AP00699), which is jointly managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.