Species Use Database

American Black Bear
Ursus americanus

Used for Recreation, Conservation Management and traditional use by Aboriginal peoples in Canada

A. Species

Scientific name: Ursus americanus

Common name(s): American Black Bear

Global IUCN Red List Threat Status: Least Concern


B. Location of use

Geographic location(s):

  • Canada

Country/Region:


C. Scale of assessment

Scale of assessment: National Level

Name/Details of location: Canada


D. Timescale of use

Start Year: 2014

End Year: 2014


E. Information about the use

How is the wild species sourced?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Type of use: Extractive

Practice of use: Hunting and/or Trapping of live terrestrial and aerial animals

Lethal or non-lethal: Lethal

Does this use involve take/extraction of: The whole entire organism

Purpose(s) of end use: Recreation, Conservation Management and traditional use by Aboriginal peoples

Motivation of use: Recreational, Traditional/Cultural/Spiritual and Population/Area Management

Is this use legal or illegal?: Legal under national law


F. Information about the Users

Which stakeholder(s) does the record primarily focus on?: National / local government


G. Information about the sustainability of use

Is there evidence that the use is having an impact on the target species?: Wild species sourced from its natural habitat

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an ecological perspective been recorded?: Yes, considered sustainable

Brief summary on why the use has been assessed/judged to be sustainable or unsustainable: "The confidence in the current Canadian harvest management system is high. Management of black bear harvest in Canada is conducted with the goal of long-term population sustainability, with increasing effort focused on mitigation of human-bear conflict and ensuring human safety. The black bear is harvested as both a game animal species (all range jurisdictions) and a furbearer species (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia) under the authorization of hunting/trapping permits or licences in accordance with their respective Wildlife Acts. The predominant method of harvest is hunting.The adaptive management framework for black bear is designed to provide the level of control necessary to maintain a sustainable harvest and healthy bear populations over the long term. Jurisdictional management strategies for black bear are reviewed annually, and adjusted as necessary.Through the recognition of Aboriginal and Treaty rights under the Canadian constitution, Aboriginal peoples may harvest wildlife for traditional use and in this case the harvest of black bear is low overall."

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an economic perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a social perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from a human health perspective been recorded?: not recorded

Has an assessment (or judgement) of sustainability of the use of the target species from an animal health/welfare perspective been recorded?: not recorded


Recommendations provided in the record to maintain or enhance the sustainability of the use of the target species


Record source

Information about the record source: formal_data_stats

Date of publication/issue/production: 2014-01-01T00:00:00+0000

Source Reference(s):

Government of Canada. 2014. American black bear: non-detriment finding. https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/convention-international-trade-endangered-species/non-detriment-findings/american-black-bear.html

Date of record entry: 2023-06-12