About Trapping in the Yukon

The Yukon is home to fourteen species of furbearing mammals that are trapped for their fur: beaver, coyote, fisher, coloured fox, Arctic fox, lynx, marten, mink, muskrat, otter, squirrel, weasel, wolf and wolverine.

Over 400 Yukoners hold trapping licenses; most are registered trapping concession holders, and the others are assistant trappers. Most pursue the occupation for its unique lifestyle. Trapping provides an opportunity for self-employment in one of the best working environments - the great outdoors.

Approximately 50 percent of Yukon trappers are First Nations. For them, trapping is a way of life with strong social and cultural traditions that pre-date the arrival of white men to the territory.

A registered trapping concession is a parcel of land on which the holder is given exclusive rights to harvest furbearing animals. There are 333 registered trapping concessions in the Yukon and 18 group areas, most of which are held either by a collective group of of family or First Nation members. This system encourages trappers to manage an area the way farmers manage their land and livestock; through monitoring of furbearer populations and their habitat, and taking a sustainable harvest.

The economic value of trapping in the Yukon is significant. It is an important winter revenue source in many smaller communities, providing income at a time of year when unemployment is high. Over the past two decades, the Yukon's fur harvest has fluctuated in value between $250,000 to over $1.5 million annually, with economic spin-offs worth two to three times that amount.

Trapping is a legitimate and sustainable use of a renewable resource and is vital to the economy and lifestyle of Northern Canada. Trappers have been in the forefront of promoting the search for humane and efficient trapping systems. Canada leads the world in humane trap research.