The Registered Trapline System and the Lineholder
What is an "RTL"?
The Registered Trapline (RTL) System is a unique
conservation method whereby a person, the "lineholder," is granted
the exclusive opportunity to harvest furbearing animals in a certain
area, the "RTL line." The system ensures sustainable furbearer
populations by controlling the number of trappers in that area and
making the lineholder the steward of the resource. Some RTL
sections are called "blocks," as no individual lines exist and all
eligible community members may use the block.
Why is it important?
By the 1940s,trapping was out of control in northern Manitoba and
furbearing animal numbers had been badly depleted. Part of the
reason was the large influx of new people into the north with the
building of the rail line to Churchill. Animals were also being taken
without regard for the time of year or their populations.
More tragically, local people (mostly First Nations) who had been
trapping on the land for generations saw their traditional
livelihoods threatened. At the request of the communities,
Manitoba created the RTL system to allow local people to continue
trapping on their traditional lands and at the same time make them
stewards of their traplines. From the original RTLs created around
the communities of Thicket Portage and Pikwitonei, the system has
grown to a total of 46 community-based "sections" each with a
varying number of individual lines.
Why is it even more important today?
When an RTL section was created by the community/First Nations
trappers themselves, it usually also represented the traditional
lands used by a community and defined those boundaries legally
for the first time. These boundaries now form the basis for many
major land-use projects around those communities (such as the
Northern Flood Agreement management areas and the Poplar-
Nanowin Rivers Park Reserve).
RTL trappers themselves are often the best sources of natural history
information (traditional knowledge), as they are on the land more
often than are most other people. It comes at a time when this
information is constantly needed to track not just furbearing
animals, but big game and the health of habitats.
How can I get an RTL line?
Lines cannot be sold, inherited, or handed down. They are
awarded through competitions held in co-operation between the
local trapping organization and Manitoba Conservation. Decisions
are made through a scoring process,whereby a varying number of
points are given to applicants based, among other things, on:
- family relationship to the previous lineholder
- their recent fur harvest history with that trapline or one in the
same section
- their residency in relationship to the trapline being allocated
The process maintains a balance by recognizing that local residents
have preferential access to RTL lines, but also by being flexible in
allowing trappers from other communities an opportunity to
compete for a line.
What does it mean to be an RTL lineholder?
Allocation of an RTL line is a significant event. When you are a
lineholder, you have the exclusive opportunity to:
- harvest the fur resource on that line
- establish a cabin in most cases on your line for trapping purposes
- have a helper to assist you in your efforts
- manage a valuable natural resource
What are the lineholder's obligations?
Some RTL lines are in great demand, and it is unfair to others if a
lineholder is not exercising the privilege that they have been
given. Lines can be re-allocated if not used.
Lineholders have responsibilities that include:
- using the resource that has been allocated
- ensuring that your actions do not jeopardize furbearer populations
- updating traps according to the latest certified humane standards
- upgrading your trapping techniques to maximize your pelt value
- voicing your opinions and concerns to your local organization and to Manitoba Conservation
- ensuring any improvements such as cabins have the proper permits
What kind of cabin can be built? A lineholder can build a main cabin and a certain number of
line cabins, depending upon the location and size of their line.
All lineholders are bound by the regulations set out in The
Wildlife Act and other acts. Permits are required for cabins
and are issued only in the name of the lineholder.
Record keeping and the RTL
All trappers should keep annual records of their activity
through the
trapping season, including when and where sets are placed, the
dates and locations of where animals were caught, and when
improvements when done on the line.
Records are an important tool in trapline management. Trappers
can assess the relative abundance of animals over the years
and
judge when to “leave” an area for a season. Your
own records will
verify your activity on a line should you be eligible for compensation
for disaster or mitigation programs. Records will also confirm
that
you are actually exercising the privilege of having a trapline.
When a trapper no longer holds an RTL line,permission
for them to have the cabin ends and they have no legal right
to keep it in place.
Incoming lineholders are under no obligation to buy any improvements
on the line,such as a cabin.As such,a trapping cabin should
be built at low cost with the thought in mind that, if an incoming
lineholder does not want to purchase it, the cabin would have
to be removed.
The ability to erect a trapper cabin is a unique privilege afforded
only to the lineholders. Use of a trapping cabin for purposes other
than trapping, without prior approval, is not allowed (e.g.,
unauthorized outfitting).
How do I learn more about the RTL System?
Administration of the RTL System is set out through The Wildlife Act
of Manitoba and its regulations and through the Furbearer
Management Policy. Copies are available from any Manitoba
Conservation office.The Policy sets out guidelines and procedures for
all trapping activities in Manitoba.
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