By Serge Lariviére
Travelers from China will have much easier steps to follow as COVID-related quarantine bans are lifted as of January 8, 2023. However, travelers will still need to present a negative PCR test, but many officials believe this will be considered a major easement of barriers against travel. Basically three years after the first COVID cases, this should enhance international travel and help resume international business.

Tanned furs make great wall hangings and eBay is a great place to start selling. Photo credit Jason Houser.
For us in the fur trade, China remains a key player, especially with the almost complete absence of Russia from the buying tables, and anything that can help bring Chinese buyers in front of North American skins is good for us all. The timing is not bad either, as Fur Harvesters Auction (www.furharvesters.com), now the only international auction house for wild fur left in operation, has their first annual fur sale on March 20-22, 2023, in North Bay, Ontario, Canada.
This lifting of the quarantine requirement for travelers in China is considered as one more step toward a national strategy of “living with the virus” as most other countries have done. Thus far, China has been extremely strict with the health measures, a national strategy to avoid overloading their hospitals. But with many developed countries now showing good success of “living with the virus,” China is finally beginning to soften their measures, which should boost international travel and help restart some of the businesses, including the fur trade, that very much depend on people seeing product firsthand. Time will tell if this measure will last, but it is one of the rare good news stories that our trade has seen in the last three years!
The other player that is key to our trade, Russia, is still unable to contribute much as the war continues to rage in Ukraine. The appetite for fur in Russian is still present, but the instability of their economy, their commitment to the war with Ukraine, and the weakening of their currency linked to economic sanctions, all have stopped much of their participation in the fur trade coming from North America.
Russians are key players in the market for raccoons, and without Russia, raccoons will remain in very low demand, and thus low clearance and very low prices. I have not heard of anybody going hard after raccoons this fall in my area, and I expect that trend nationwide, with trappers waiting for raccoons to average more than $20 before spending gas money on them. Raccoon trapping in large numbers is a gas-burning activity, and it is difficult to make it profitable when prices struggle to exceed $10 each.
Demand for coyote fur has also basically stopped, after almost 10 years of record-high prices. The trimming of parkas with coyote fur has dwindled compared to what it once was, and companies have changed their strategy when it comes to trimming parkas. The result is that the market for Western coyotes fell back to $25-$40 each for the best skins, and Eastern coyotes close to $15-$25 when they do sell. Many buyers are refusing early or ugly skins altogether now, and trappers who still continue to target coyotes should seek midwinter harvest and avoid starting early. Catch fewer animals but catch better fur — the universal mantra to survive difficult markets, now applies to coyotes.
Red and gray foxes also continue to be difficult to sell, averaging $5-$15 U.S., both being used in jackets and vests, both traditionally Chinese or Russian products. Cross and silver foxes, because of their uniqueness, limited numbers and use in the wall-hanging trade, remain steady at $25-$50 for the very best skins.
Beaver remains probably the most profitable fur right now, simply because of the multiple uses and associated markets. Castoreum in the highest value item on a beaver, and prices continue to reach $100-$110 U.S. per pound, giving trappers almost $10 U.S. per large beaver simply for the glands. Then, a prime beaver pelt will reach $20-$25 for the skin thanks to the hatter market. And if you are lucky enough to live near bear hunting outfitters, carcasses can be sold for bear bait at $5-$10 each, and in some northern areas, for human consumption at $10-$25 depending on size and “cleanliness.” I have not seen much of a market for beaver tail leather lately, but I assume one could seek another couple of dollars there.
Trappers in the nuisance business may also receive payment for damage control or damage prevention, and this can exceed the value received for the animal itself. Beaver damage rapidly climbs into the thousands of dollars when agriculture fields are flooded, valuable timber is cut, or cottages are threatened by falling trees or flooding. Moreover, railroads, highways and even forestry roads in many remote areas are facing annual problems with beavers, and this is often the economic lifeline of trappers wishing to trap other species, as well, using beaver trapping as their baseline to pay for the pursuit of other species. I expect this will remain a key species to pursue in 2023 because beaver problems only seem to increase year after year all over North America as cities expand, municipal bans on trapping grow (which leads to animal damage operations), etc.
Everything else in the trade should remain on par with last year’s prices. Muskrats at $2-$3, wild mink $2-$5, river otters at $15-$20, fishers at $15-$20, and anything for the taxidermy or tourist trade (wolves, wolverines) selling very well and very easily, as will the highest-quality bobcats pelts. There is some hope that marten prices will rise a little, based on the last sable sale that was held in Russia.
Once the world has moved past the COVID pandemic, we will really need to see the war end in Russia before we can start seeing prices change significantly for the better.