Management
Last Review/Updated: May 31, 2002
Wildlife
is a renewable resource. Renewable resources are those natural resources
which are capable of replenishing themselves. Such resources include
forest trees, agricultural crops, grassland forage and water, as well
as fish and all forms of wildlife. At any given point in time, the
abundance of a renewable resource depends upon the rate at which it
is being used and the rate at which it is replenishing itself.
Weasels, like all living things, have limited rates of reproduction. This determines how many of these animals people can harvest without harming their populations.
The
Fish and Wildlife Division is responsible for maintaining desirable
levels of wildlife populations in the province. Provincial government
legislation, the Wildlife Act, covers all members of the weasel
family. They are classed as either "fur-bearing animals" or "fur-bearing
carnivores." This act protects all weasels and their homes and specifies
the circumstances by which they can be harvested or controlled.
Because of the economic value of their fur, the Government of Alberta allows commercial trapping of weasels. The Fish and Wildlife Division estimates the population level of each weasel species. By registering all trappers, traplines and fur sales, Fish and Wildlife determines the number of each species being harvested. If a population, such as the river otter, is in danger of being overharvested, Fish and Wildlife may reduce trapping quotas, shorten season lengths and designate areas closed to trapping to limit the harvest, thereby ensuring the future welfare of Alberta's furbearer populations.
Other management practices may be necessary for other members of the weasel family. In some areas, skunks may contribute to the spread of rabies. Their role in this regard requires special study. The badger is given complete protection in areas where its value in pest control is greater than its value as a furbearer. Along the eastern border of the province, trapping of weasels is restricted as they are a vital force in halting the spread of rats into Alberta.
