Commercial fishing and trapping provide livelihoods to some Americans and supplement the incomes of many others. 



Fur production. — Those mammals collectively 

 called furbearers are both raised on fur farms for 

 eventual harvesting and trapped in the wild. The 

 numbers of farms and trappers have varied with the 

 market price of furs. Currently, slightly more than 

 half of all furs are harvested by trappers. 



Fur production flourished in the United States 

 until the late 1940's when a decrease in demand for 

 fur coats and low pelt prices sharply reduced produc- 

 tion. By 1970, demand had largely recovered, and 

 from 1970 to 1976 both prices and harvests increased 

 substantially. Pelt prices more than doubled for 

 badger, bobcat, coyote, fisher, fox, lynx, opossum, 

 raccoon, wolf, and wolverine in this period.* 



There is a strong international trade in furs. 

 Throughout the 1960's the United States was a net 

 importer of furs; since 1972, the country has been a 

 net exporter. In 1977 about three-quarters of all furs 

 harvested were exported; these were worth $208 mil- 

 lion, while imported furs were worth about $122 

 million. 



If recent trends in domestic and international 

 fashions continue, there will continue to be a strong 

 demand for furs from the United States. This is espe- 

 cially true in light of recent restrictions on the inter- 

 national trade in furs of spotted cats, which tradi- 

 tionally had been supplied primarily by African and 

 South American countries. 



*• Demas, E. F., and D. Pursley (eds.). North American furbear- 

 ers: their management, research, and harvest status in 1976. Inter- 

 national Assoc. Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Univ. Maryland Press, 

 College Park. 1978, Prices for furs have continued to increase since 

 these data were compiled. The authors note that some unknown 

 portion of the apparent increases in the value of furs is due to more 

 comprehensive and more accurate recordkeeping. 



Wildlife and fish as food. — Many wild animals 

 that are commonly consumed, such as ducks and 

 deer, are sought by recreationists. Many other spe- 

 cies, such as muskrats and raccoons, are appreciated 

 by relatively small groups. In addition, nearly all 

 game fish are considered edible. Hunters and fisher- 

 men realize market-equivalent dollar values when 

 they consume wild animals. 



Several estimates have been made of these market- 

 equivalent values. For example, from 1969 through 

 1973 the annual recreational harvest of deer averaged 

 somewhat more than 2 million animals or about 106 

 million pounds of boneless meat. This venison was 

 worth more than $100 million to hunters at prevailing 

 local prices of premium grade ground beef. In 1974 

 and 1975, the market-equivalent value of the annual 

 harvest increased to about $134 million.' Similarly, it 

 has been estimated that the 1975 freshwater sport fish 

 catch of 829 million pounds was worth $1.3 billion.^ 



While such values are important to recreationists, 

 they are critical to subsistence hunters and fishermen 

 for whom wild animals are a primary source of food. 

 In the mid-1970's, for example, the harvest of salmon 

 in Alaska for subsistence purposes totaled about 3 

 million pounds annually. Applying the average 

 dockside price paid to commercial fishermen for 

 salmon at that time — $0.63 per pound — yields a 

 market-equivalent value of about $2 million. This is 

 probably an underestimate because the harvests of 



^Wilcox, S. W. Deer production in the United States: 1969-1973. 

 (plus annual reports) Arizona State Univ., Tempe. 1976. 



* Stroud, R. H. Recreational fishing. //; Wildlife and America. 

 H. P. Brokaw (ed.) Council on Environmental Quality. Washing- 

 ton, D.C. p. 53-66. 1978. 



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