Historical statistics on fur trapping in Quebec

Historical trapping statistics in Quebec contain the number of furs traded for each species of fur animals in each fur management unit ([UGAF] (https://www.quebec.ca/tourisme-et-loisirs/activites-sportives-et-de-plein-air/piegeage/cartes-ugaf)) for each year since 1917. The species of fur-bearing animals are as follows: weasels, Canadian beaver, coyotes, squirrels, wolves, wolves, river otters, lynx, American marten, striped skunk, pekan, striped skunk, pekan, muskrat, muskrat, muskrat, raccoon, raccoon, arctic fox, red fox, and American mink.

The trapping seasons extend from the fall of one year to the winter of the following year (e.g. October 2015 to March 2016), so the years are entered as follows: 2015-2016.

Data available between 1917-1918 and 1983-1984 are compiled for the whole province only, not by fur management unit ([UGAF] (https://www.quebec.ca/tourisme-et-loisirs/activites-sportives-et-de-plein-air/piegeage/cartes-ugaf)). Starting from 1984-1985, the data are presented by UGAF.

### Warning

The data does not represent fur harvesting but raw fur transactions. Catches from one year may be carried over to the following year or may be absent if the trapper keeps his furs for personal use. In addition, animals caught in the context of controlling intrusive animals (outside the trapping season) do not appear in these statistics either.

It should be noted that the data has been verified and changes have been made to ensure validity. However, inconsistencies or errors could have crept in.

Data deemed to be outlier (species whose location is clearly outside its known range (UGAF probably erroneous)) have been moved to the undetermined UGAF (UGAF 99).

A “data not validated” column is included in the database. Here, there is no judgment whether the data is true or false, it has just not been validated. Thus, users should not take this information for a certain statement. This indication has been added when there is a transaction located near the limit of the known range of the species.

### Important Information

UGAF 99 does not exist in practice. Data that is not spatially located (UGAF unknown) is added there so that the compilation of total catches per year remains accurate.

Several species can be grouped together in trapping statistics:

* Squirrels include all species of squirrels, including the red squirrel (*Tamiasciurus hudsonicus*), the gray squirrel (*Sciurus carolinensis*) and the flying squirrel (*Glaucomys sabrinus*).
* Weasels include the two species of weasel: pygmy (*Mustela nivalis*) and long-tailed (*Mustela frenata*) as well as the ermine (*Mustela erminea*).
* Since the arrival of the coyote (*Canis latrans*) was relatively recent in Quebec, until 1982-1983, wolves and coyotes were not differentiated in fur transactions. That is why, Loup-Coyote is listed in the “species” column between 1944-1945 (date of the first mention of coyote in Quebec) and 1982-1983. Then (starting from 1983-1984), the two species were dissociated. However, wolves have been considered absent south of the St. Lawrence River for about a hundred years. Despite this, several transactions attributed to wolves appear in the historical trapping database. It could be a typing error or an identification error based on how the fur was prepared, or maybe it was a real lone wolf. Considering the high rate of hybridization and the difficulty in identifying them on the basis of physical criteria, all wolf data attributed to the south of the St. Lawrence River were identified as “Loup-Coyote”. Data on the identity of wolves and coyotes should be considered carefully.
* Arctic foxes include the various forms of coloring: white and blue.
* Red foxes incorporate different forms of coloring: red, crossed, silver.

Data extraction date: 2025-10-30

Additional data on historical hunting statistics for caribou, white-tailed deer, deer, wild turkey, and moose, as well as data on hunting and trapping of black bears can be found here: 

[Historical statistics of big game hunting and black bear hunting/trapping in Quebec] (https://www.donneesquebec.ca/recherche/dataset/statistiques-historiques-de-chasse-et-piegeage-au-quebec)

Organization: Government and Municipalities of Québec | Gouvernement et municipalités du Québec