Alberta's new wolverine trapping rules lead to divide between trappers and researchers

Researchers studying wolverines warn a recent decision by the Alberta government to lift trapping quotas on wolverines could lead to notable population decline while failing to produce meaningful data.

The warning comes as Alberta trappers argue their year-round presence on the landscape puts them in a unique position to gather data that others might miss.

The Alberta government recently lifted trapping limits on wolverines and other species, a move Alberta Forestry Minister Todd Loewen said was intended to improve population data.

"It seems like it's reckless. It is not. This is the best thing that we have done for furbearer management in decades," Bill Abercrombie, president of the Alberta Trappers Association (ATA), told CBC News. "Maybe the best thing we've ever done."

However, researchers say the plan is inconsistent with years of wolverine studies and poses a risk to populations given wolverines' low reproductive rates, small population size and sensitivity to environmental threats.

"I, and I think most other wolverine researchers, sincerely believe that unrestricted trapping for wolverines is going to be a mistake, and we're going to end up in a very bad situation in another two or three years," said wildlife biologist Jason Fisher, director of the ACME Lab at the University of Victoria. 

Under the new framework, trappers must log their "harvests" (the capturing or killing of an animal) to provide real-time population data, according to the province.

"Data on frequency of harvests, and health, age and gender of the animals can then be used to estimate the size, health and diversity of the larger populations — giving us the tools needed to make informed decisions," reads a statement attributed to Alexandru Cioban, spokesperson for Loewen.

In 2002, a Report of Alberta's Endangered Science Conservation Committee estimated the Alberta population of wolverines at being fewer than 1,000 breeding individuals, and said it was considered to be declining at an unknown rate.

That's the most recent population estimate for wolverines conducted by the province.

That report went on to say that the wolverine, which historically had been found across Alberta, was now restricted to the northern half of the province and along the mountains and foothills. 

"The wolverine has a low population density and, as is true for most large carnivores, its reproductive potential is naturally low," the report reads.

"As a result, the trapping of only a few individuals has a large potential to affect negatively the reproductive success of the population, and recovery from any population decline will be slow."

LISTEN | Naturalist Brian Keating explains what the policy means for wolverine populations: