Trapping
Trapping has been practised by the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in as part of their traditional economy for millennia. It can continue indefinitely when people protect healthy wildlife and habitat and act with respect. People lived on traplines in the winter as part of their seasonal round. Furs of animals such as wolf, lynx, beaver, and marten have long been used in clothing, crafts, and ceremonial regalia.
The arrival of newcomers in the Region brought new tools and increased demands for fur, both through the North American fur trade, which offered new goods in exchange for furs, and to clothe people migrating into the area. In addition to increases in direct harvest, growing human populations and activities on the land put indirect pressure on all wildlife populations, including furbearers.
Traditionally, different areas in the Region have been trapped by specific families, with responsibility to steward the animals in that area. During the 20th century, the Government of Yukon mapped trapping concessions and established regulations and licensing (commercial). Chapter 16 of the THFA defines authorities related to trapline allocation and assignment among Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Government of Yukon, and the Dawson District Renewable Resources Council. Regardless of this system, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Citizens retain the right to trap, and to use, barter or sell fur (subsistence) according to Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in regulations.
Trapping remains an important way for people to connect with the land and practise ancestral and community stewardship, and trappers are valuable community knowledge holders thanks to the time they spend on the land. Trapping can also be a way for people to practise stewardship by balancing removal of predators when also removing prey animals.
The Region has a higher-than-average rate of use of traplines and a strong youth education program. Furs are highly valued in the community for use in clothing, crafts, and artistry, ranging from sought-after items for winter clothing to moccasins showcasing local beadwork to high fashion. Directions for all values and economic activities should be read alongside the Stewardship Directions for Trapping, because of the interconnections between values and activities.
Key Planning Issues
- Trapping concessions are large areas and naturally overlap with other land uses, including traditional economic activities, recreational, commercial, and industrial uses.
- Climate change, natural disturbances, and other land uses may affect naturally fluctuating populations of furbearers, trapline infrastructure, and trapping activities.
- Trapline infrastructure and activity are not consistently considered in project proposals and assessment, often due to lack of available location information. However, making locations of cabins and trails publicly available risks opening these areas to overuse and/or disrespect.
- Siloed management of industries and activities can impact trappers and traplines.
- Trapping can be prohibitively expensive, and fur prices rise and fall in response to factors outside of the Region’s influence.
Stewardship Directions
- When proposing projects that overlap with, or could affect, traplines, recognize and consider trapping activities and infrastructure, and propose ways to minimize negative impacts.
- When engaging in activities on the land, respect traps, cabins, trails, and other infrastructure and equipment associated with trapping.
- When engaged in trapping, be aware and respectful of other land users.
- When engaged in trapping, seek and follow Traditional Knowledge and local ecological knowledge.
Implementation Actions
- Trappers are knowledge holders by virtue of their time on the land. Support programs to gather land-based knowledge from trappers, including the potential for climate change monitoring.
- Support trappers by considering ways to compensate them for participating in community-based monitoring.
- Continue to support trapper education programs, especially for youth.
- Continue to support land–people relationships through community trapline use.
- Improve education and communication among government departments that regulate trapping and trapline use, and activities that can affect traplines – for example, forestry, mining.
