A new study on the sale of polar bear furs found a significant portion go to buyers in China. - photo courtesy of Mike Johnson |
Foreigners buy polar bear products
New report says sales to buyers in China does not affect population numbers
Karen K. Ho
Northern News Services
Monday, December 14, 2015
NUNAVUT
A new report concludes that people in China are the primary buyers of polar bear products from Nunavut and current trade practices do not threaten the animal's future.
Independent consultant Ernest Cooper was hired by Environment Canada on behalf of a consortium of countries who harvest polar bears to update a previous five-year study looking at the global trade in fur and its effect on populations.
"Historically, there has been a lot of misinformation in the media on the extent of trade," Cooper said. "I stand by the fact that trade is not a significant threat to polar bears."
Three years ago Cooper helped publish a report showing the trade in polar bears was not detrimental to the sustainability of the species. However, Cooper said information in that report was from 2005 to 2009.
"And things have changed a lot," he said.
Cooper's report, which was presented on Dec. 9 at the ArcticNet conference in Vancouver, was based on five-year data between 2010 and 2015 and shows the vast majority of sales consist of polar bear rugs and mounted polar bears, rather than hunting trophies being purchased by American sport hunters as part of an excursion.
"Within a very few years, you had a shift in export of hides to China," he said. "By 2010, you had more hides going to China than all the other countries combined. And it's stayed that way ever since."
While Cooper said he is not a businessperson, he acknowledged the implications of his study on the livelihood of many Nunavummiut who heavily rely on polar bear hunts for food and income from the sale of the fur.
Nunavut produces a vast majority of Canada's polar bear furs.
"I'd say about 90 per cent," said Ed Ferguson, a fur technician in charge of seals, polar bears and "anything to do with the territory" at the Fur Harvester's Auction in North Bay, Ont. "Out of 200 bears, 190 will come from Nunavut."
Cooper said the significant drop in the number of sport hunters means the vast majority of income is generated through the export of furs produced by local hunters.
"That has an implication on livelihood because sport hunters bring a pretty good chunk of cash to a community, much more than you would get for selling a hide," he said. "Even an exceptional hide isn't going to bring in the same kind of money."
Meanwhile, the market has seen a recent drop in the sales of polar bear hides at auction and exports, Cooper said, due to a fall in global demand for fur.
"Market for mink in China also dropped in 2013," he said.
Cooper estimated in 2012-2013 the number of polar bear hides being exported was approximately 400.
"In 2014, it was around 230," he said. "It was a massive drop."
However, Ferguson said that difference between sales and exports also needs to factor in the processing period necessary for transforming the furs into finished rugs or completed mounts.
"A full mount for a customer can take two years to finish all the work," he said. "And the rugs take a year to a year and a half before they're ready for shipping. Some of the furs sold two or three years ago were just exported last year."
Ultimately, Cooper said his study led to more questions and the desire to see similar studies done on a annual basis to find out more about who is buying the polar bear furs, their reasons for purchasing them and how are they being imported.
"I have a lot of questions about what's going on in China," he said.
With all the global interest in the species and the rapidly changing nature of the trade in polar bear furs, Cooper said this will definitely not be the last study he will be involved in.
"Things can change so dramatically from year to year," he said, citing his experience analyzing the differences between 2008 and 2009 as well as 2013 and 2014. "Whether it's warranted or not, the speed of misinformation in the digital age with Facebook and other social medias, I think it behooves us to make sure that accurate information is as readily information as misinformation."
