Do not sell the bear skin, it no longer finds a buyer!
The price of polar bear skin is down.
The trade in
Ursus maritimus
furs is at half mast in international markets.
A tragedy for Canadian Inuit populations strongly impacted by unemployment for whom the sale of skins represents a substantial part of their income.
According to the Canadian government, the country is home to 16,000 polar bears, whose population has been protected since 1973. Hunting is authorized, but is regulated, subject to quotas and reserved for indigenous populations.
Over 75% of the polar bear harvest takes place in the territory of Nunavut.
About 280 skins are exported on average each year, mainly to China and to a lesser extent to Russia.
Unfortunately for Inuit hunters, Chinese and Russian buyers have not recently been present at the major auctions that traditionally take place in North Bay, Ontario.
Read also
In the land of trappers, the Covid-19 had the skin of the fur
About 300 skins destined for these sales and stored in Ontario warehouses have been repatriated to Nunavut, where they are to be sold to local buyers at knock-down prices.
The furs should find takers for amounts between 200 and 800 dollars per unit, according to Radio Canada.
Much better than the $107 for brown bear fur.
This remains a misery, while the average price of a polar bear skin usually varies between 4000 and 6000 dollars.
In order not to build up stocks that would further lower prices next year, this year's unsold items will be distributed to charities and schools to warm up the little Inuit.