Furbearer Management

Beaver Management

The beaver is one of Manitoba’s most important wildlife species. It is a significant component of the province’s biodiversity and fills many roles in the ecosystem: it is a consumer of plants itself, but also serves as a key food for keystone predators such as black bear, wolf, and wolverine. Beaver further create wetland habitat for other living organisms, including homes for riparian plants, fish, waterfowl, and as a water source for large mammals including livestock in times of drought conditions.

In the early 1900s, beaver almost became extinct because of overharvest and disease. However, strict conservation measures and the introduction of the registered trapline system during the mid-1940s were successful in rebuilding the population.

The number of beaver harvested by trappers is directly related to the average market value of beaver pelts on the fur markets. Recent harvests have ranged from a low of 12,000 in 1990/91 (average pelt value of $14) to a high of 68,000 in 1979/80 (average pelt value of $40). During successive years of low prices, trapping pressure is reduced and the beaver population grows until they become a major problem causing millions of dollars damage to private property, transportation routes and farmland. Most problems occur in rural municipalities adjacent to the Duck Mountain Provincial Park and Riding Mountain National Park and, more recently, in the southeastern part of the province where abnormal amounts of precipitation have occurred.

Manitoba Conservation manages the Problem Beaver Management Program to assist rural municipalities and Northern Affairs communities.

The program provides a $15 subsidy to municipalities for each problem beaver removed. Most efforts are directed during the winter season to encourage removal when the pelts have a higher value. During the winter season the program also provides a subsidy to some registered trapline sections to remove beavers which might move out into the adjacent municipalities.

Since the subsidy program began in 1993 (originally as a summer component only), over 105,000 beavers have been removed.

Trappers who are interested in participating in the program should contact their local municipality or nearest Manitoba Conservation office to obtain guidelines.

Problem Beaver Removal Program Summary

	2002/03	2003/04	2004/05	2005/06	2006/07	2007/08	2008/09
Provincial Total	9,296	8,145	7,969	9,248	8,071	6,973	7,600
Key Municipality or RTL:
Mountain	638	541	623	721	771	779	913
Ethelbert	412	301	299	387	287	251	637
Gilbert Plains	590	486	401	384	322	243	388
Grandview	457	348	180	365	306	189	316
Swan River	317	317	221	320	212	321	259
Armstrong	245	131	113	303	286	10	240
Lac du Bonnet	184	185	190	313	183	312	270
Alonsa	47		15	59	113	173	198
Mossey River	242	164	274	278	48	259	173
Duck Mountain RTL	892	1,081	924	899	791	788	793
Porcupine RTL	416	467	404	464	420	384	407

There is an education component, where Manitoba Conservation provides workshops for local agencies and stakeholders in the use of non-lethal techniques as another method for protecting roads, property and land from floods caused by beaver activity. Workshops demonstrate the building and installation of pond levelers and beaver deceivers, which discourage beaver from building the dams and blocking water flows.