By Serge Lariviére
Optimism seems to be growing as we move along, and over this pandemic challenge that started in March 2020. When things started closing because of COVID-19, the fur trade was already on a steep downward slope, and things kept going down during the pandemic. Buyers could not travel, manufacturers had to slow down, space themselves, some got sick, retailers had their stores closed and consumers were nervous. It’s tough to spend money on luxury when the future is uncertain and when you cannot travel. Also, it’s much more difficult to justify buying luxury goods when you cannot go out and display your wealth. Fashion and luxury only work when you can show yourself — just think of how you dress when you are alone in your house.
But things are now moving along, and many of the richer countries report that good portions of their populations have been vaccinated, and probably every person on the planet right now is looking forward to returning back to “normal.” Many people aspire to start traveling again, getting together in groups, shopping, etc. For sure in an industry of luxury goods, social life and travel are positive things. In the fur industry, there is a slow and steady wind of optimism that emerges from the post-pandemic struggle — we may just be past the most difficult period of our history.
Recent international mink sales showed very good clearances and some price increases. When clearance is good (i.e., offered skins are sold), at least there is no build up of unsold inventory to slow down the sales of the next offering of fresh skins. The mink industry has suffered some tremendous blows in the last year, with Denmark getting out of the fur business after years of being the largest producer of ranch mink in the world. Some people think that manufacturers are buying more now because they fear a shortage of skins, but possibly some people anticipate a “post-COVID” wave of buying.
Photo credit Jason Houser.
Timing for us trappers may finally be good. Harvest of wild fur was probably unusually low in the past year because of travel restrictions, COVID impacts, low fur prices, etc. There were low offerings and expectations of low prices, so many animals were simply left in the woods, with trappers opting for a more recreational approach. Some buyers reported on many new but low-volume trappers — people that, because of COVID, decided to take to the woods and try this new activity. This is good for us also — new trappers coming in is how we maintain our strength and keep our support strong. And we must never forget that all of the big-volume trappers of today were once low-volume trappers themselves!
Optimism may be in the air, but price predictions remain tough to make. Prices take a lot longer to climb up than to fall, and we are at such low levels now that optimism may reveal to be just minor increases. There are no new trends expected — Western coyotes for the trim trade will continue to move, and water species will remain tough to sell, although muskrats may be the very first water species to move up. Muskrats typically follow ranch mink closely, and as soon as ranch mink starts up, some buyers consider muskrats as a cheaper alternative and this usually translates into price increase.
Taxidermy skins (bears, wolves, wolverines, etc.) continue to do well, but fancy Northern skins such as marten, fisher and Canada lynx will continue to struggle. Fisher is a complete disaster — most trappers prefer to leave them to breed than to harvest them at ridiculous prices. In my part of the world, fisher skins brought $12 to $15 USD last year — I expect the pressure on them will remain low again this year. Ditto for raccoon, red fox, gray fox on dryland, and beaver, otter and wild mink near water. There is great pleasure to run lines for these species, but this is not where profit will be again this year.
The Trapper’s Fur Market expert Serge Lariviére.
The next international sale of wild fur is scheduled for July 19-22, 2021, in North Bay, Canada, at Fur Harvesters Auction (www.furharvesters.com). This sale will be a good one to watch, mainly because international travelers may finally be able to attend because of the general improvement of the COVID-19 situation. If international buyers can attend, we could see the official turning of the tide that has impacted us for so long. There is a great deal of unsold inventory waiting to be sold and turned into garments. But many predict that there will be a surge of buying post-COVID, and it is not unrealistic to think that our fur trade may experience a solid upward swing once the world is ready.
I know many trappers have lost their appetite for big catches, and some species like beaver and even raccoon have started to slip into the nuisance world more and more because of ongoing low fur prices. COVID-19 was a challenge for the world, and it hit the fur trade negatively at one of its weakest moments in history. Let’s hope 2021 marks a new beginning and we can once again start covering our expenses while pursuing the fur-bearing animals we are so passionate about!
The Wolf’s Place in Wildlife Management
