About a century after the exploitation of fish began in Canada, a second natural resource increased in importance - fur. Demand in Europe for furs, especially beaver, was strong up to the early 1900s. To meet this demand, European trappers [1] moved westward across Canada in search of the desired fur-bearing animals often entering traditional native Indian hunting and gathering territories. Médart des Groseillers [2] and Pierre Radisson [3] were amongst the first Europeans to penetrate deep into the forest belt of the North in search of furs. In the process, the trappers also explored and mapped much of Canada's unique landscape. The French were instrumental in guiding the fur trapping empire through Montreal; the great North West Company was the main French organiser. In contrast, the British focussed their fur trading routes on Hudson Bay from which they shipped their furs to Europe [4]. The British fur trading empire [5] was controlled by the Hudson's Bay Company [6]. During the 18th century, the HBC authorised several scouting parties into the interior [7]. By 1760 the company had expanded her influence beyond the Rocky Mountains [8] with a network of trading routes [9] and trading posts such as York Factory [10] which is located near the mouth of the Hayes River approximately 250 kilometres south-east of Churchill, Manitoba. In 1835, the British and French joined their empires, however, the fur trade was beginning to decline at this time.
Compared to other countries of the world Canada is still an important fur producer [11]; most of the production [12] is done by the aboriginal peoples as a source of income. It is estimated that the direct and indirect fur industry employs about 88,000 people - 90% as trappers - with an overall output of about $800 million dollars. Of the total, $270 million is exported as raw or finished products, which represents about 0.1% of Canada's total exports.
Like fish, the fur sector [13] has also evolved. Approximately half of the furs come from fur farms, mainly mink, while the other half - muskrat, beaver, and martin - is trapped. Over 80% of the fur processing and manufacturing of fur products (i.e., hats, coats) is done in Montreal; the US buys 80% of the finished products.
| TOP | CONTENT | VGT HOME |
){kind=link}