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The fur measures about two and one-half inches in length. It is used mainly for muffs and neck, shoulder pieces. [4] The trapping of fishers is restricted in many States leading to it becoming a more uncommon type of fur in comparison to the mink. Fisher fur is more durable and water resistant than other types of fur such as fox. [7]
Today, 85 percent of the fur clothing industry's pelts come from animals raised on farms. The rest is from animals caught in the wild. The most farmed fur-bearing animal is the mink (50 million annually), followed by the fox (about 4 million annually). Asiatic and Finnish raccoon and chinchilla are also farmed for their fur.
The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on the species; it is valued by animal trappers for the fur trade. Martens are slender, agile animals, which are adapted to living in the taiga , and inhabit coniferous and northern deciduous forests across the Northern Hemisphere .
An animal with commercially valuable fur is known within the fur industry as a furbearer. [12] The use of fur as clothing or decoration is controversial; animal welfare advocates object to the trapping and killing of wildlife, and the confinement and killing of animals on fur farms.
The trade originally tried to mimic the fur trade in the north, with large quantities of wildcats, bears, beavers, and other fur bearing animals being traded. [97] The trade in fur coat animals decreased in the early 18th century, curtailed by the rising popularity of trade in deer skins. [97]
Sable fur has been a highly valued item in the fur trade since the early Middle Ages, and is generally considered to have the most beautiful and richly tinted pelt among martens. Sable fur is unique because it retains its smoothness in every direction it is stroked. The fur of other animals feels rough stroked against the grain. [17]
Fur was primarily used for visible linings, with species varied by season within social classes. Populations of fur-bearing animals decreased in West Europe and began to be imported from the Middle East and Russia. [6] As new kinds of fur, such as jaguar and chinchilla, entered Europe, other uses were found for fur other than clothing.
American marten are trapped for their fur in all but a few states and provinces where they occur. [36] The highest annual take in North America was 272,000 animals in 1820. [28] Trapping is a major source of American marten mortality in some populations [31] [48] and may account for up to 90% of all deaths in some areas. [12]