Economic Values of Wild Fur Harvest in North Dakota

The North Dakota wild fur industry exists as a small, but important economic and recreational activity. This paper describes the role of furbearers and estimates the impact of recreational furbearer hunting and trapping on economy. Furbearers are animals whose pelts human's use for clothing. Furs are almost exclusively used for garments and trim on clothing. Furbearers are harvested for sport and for profit and to prevent damage to domestic livestock, fowl, and crops. North Dakota furbearer hunters and trappers harvest about $500,000 worth of raw furs per year. Wild fur harvesters spend $30 million each year hunting and trapping in the state. Most of these are recreational hunters and trappers, who, in the aggregate, get about $12 million in nonmonetary enjoyment over and above their expenditures from their participation. These expenditures generate another $69 million in economic activity, producing gross business receipts of $99 million. This level of gross business volume supports 1,466 jobs throughout various economic sectors that provide inputs to support furbearer hunting and trapping activities. Over half of these economic impacts occur in rural areas of North Dakota.