Anyone Buying Fur Anymore? Trapping is Way Down in NJ

New Jersey fur trappers are doing less trapping these days and the pelts they take are declining in value.

Tom Mulea, president of the New Jersey Trappers Association says, "the decline for fur is because the prices have fallen so far. And what happens is the trapper is not going to go out. No one is going to realize a substantial amount for themselves."

"I've been trapping since I was 8 and I am 74, and I've seen these ups and downs through the years. There's no buyers in the world. China, Greece, Korea and Russia, of course, their economies haven't been too good and because the prices have fallen so far."

The state Division of Fish and Wildlife reports 20,000 animals were trapped last year, down from 46,000 during the 2013-2014 trapping season.

According to Mulea, "the decline started about five years ago and it has been a steady decline since due to world economies."

A decade ago, a fox fur was worth $75 to $85. Today, it's worth about $12.

Mulea says there are different trapping seasons for different parts of New Jersey. It runs from Nov. 15 to March 15 in the north and Dec. 1 to March 15 in the south.