California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill Wednesday that makes it illegal to trap animals or sell their fur, making California the first state in the U.S. to impose a fur trapping ban.

The Wildlife Protection Act of 2019 puts an end to a longstanding practice that was entwined with California’s frontier roots but that has steadily declined in recent decades with the rise of conservationism.

“Historically, fur trapping played a significant role in the extirpation of wolves and wolverines and the severe declines in sea otters, fishers, marten, beaver, and other fur-bearing species in California,” the bill states. “Because individual trappers concentrate their operations in limited geographical areas, they can locally deplete populations of the species they target, impairing the ecological functioning of the area and diminishing opportunities for wildlife watching in these areas.”

The legislation notes: “Prohibiting fur trapping would eliminate the needless taxpayer subsidized killing of California’s native species for the international fur trade, while better protecting the role these species place in our ecosystems and economy.”