Without human intervention, wildlife can be subjected to wildly swinging “boom and bust” cycles of overpopulation followed by disease and starvation. This is natural, certainly, but hardly humane. Using modern methods, trappers can help to maintain more stable and healthy wildlife populations.

The sustainable use of renewable resources

Worldwide, the fur industry is an excellent example of an industry based on sustainable use of renewable natural resourcres. Furs used by the trade are abundant. Absolutely no endangered species are used. In the Canadian fur trade, government wildlife officials and biologists ensure responsible use by establishing controlled seasons for hunting and trapping, as well as harvest quotas, licensing, and training courses for trappers. Strict government regulations ensure that these quotas and seasons are respected.
Beaver and muskrat alone make up more than one-half of the wild furs used in the Canadian fur trade, and these species are believed to probably be as abundant as when Europeans first arrived in Canada. In many regions, raccoons, coyotes and foxes are more abundant than they have ever been.

Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS)

An example of the fur trade’s commitment to responsible practices is the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS). Jointly funded by the Canadian Government and the International Fur Trade Federation, this important program ensures that animal welfare priorities are addressed in a practical way when animals are taken for food, fur or wildlife management programs. Environment Canada and the international fur trade have contributed more than $13 million in recent years to research and refine humane trapping methods.
This pioneering work, coordinated by the Fur Institute of Canada, provided the scientific basis for these standards, which are now being adopted by all major fur-producing nations and the European Union. These standards have been set to protect animals trapped for any reason, including pest and disease control.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES)

But controls on the fur trade don't just stop at the Canadian border. Both the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), with 145 member countries, and the World Conservation Union (IUCN) - of which the Fur Institute of Canada and the International Fur Trade Federation are members - work to monitor and control trade and threatened or endangered species. They have demonstrated that we can conserve the world's natural resources and ensure sustainable use through international cooperation.