Special Places: Eco-lessons from the National Parks in Atlantic Canada

Information Sheet: Newfoundland Marten

Introduction

The American marten is found in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. A subspecies called the Newfoundland marten is found on the island of Newfoundland, with a population of approximately 300. The Newfoundland marten was declared an endangered species in 1996 by the national Committee for the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). The Cape Breton Highlands’ marten population was listed as endangered in the province of Nova Scotia in 2001.

© Parks Canada / Don Pentz

In terms of habitat, most researchers agree that the Newfoundland marten is a mature forest animal which prefers conifer forests with a high degree of canopy closure. It tends to live and rest in dens, burrows, holes, crevices and hollowed trees.

A rare member of the weasel family, the Newfoundland marten is an omnivore–meaning that it eats plants and animals–and feeds on such species as squirrels, hares, shrews, birds, insects, fish, berries, etc.

Reasons for Species Loss

• Killed in incidental snaring and trapping
• Lack of control on the number of snares used during snowshoe hare season
• Competition for limited food supply
• Predation by fox, owls, hawks, lynx, coyote and eagles
• Increased access to forested areas due to forest road construction and ATVs
• Diseases such as rabies and canine distemper virus

Efforts to Conserve

• There has been a reintroduction program at Terra Nova National Park, Newfoundland.
• A National Recovery Plan, established by the Newfoundland Marten Recovery Team, was intended to increase the number of marten on the island to a point where they are no longer threatened with extinction.
• In 1934, trapping of marten was abolished. Snaring and dry-land trapping was banned in the Little Grand Lake area in 1973 due to accidental trapping.
• A captive breeding program has been established at Salmonier Nature Park on the east coast of Newfoundland.
• The Western Newfoundland Model Forest (WNMF) has been working with various partners, playing an active role in marten research. They have been developing improved stand and landscape-level management practices to protect marten habitat.
• Sighting records, provincial trapping records and live trapping are being utilized.

References

Environment Canada. American Marten Live Trapping and Track Detection in Kejimkujik National Park 1994-1995.

Newfoundland Marten Web site: www.newfoundlandmarten.com

Species at Risk Web site: www.speciesatrisk.gc.ca

Western Newfoundland Model Forest Web site: www.wnmf.com/pine.htm