Not a single animal was hurt: how to extract valuable eider down

Eiderdown is a valuable insulating material that is used in the manufacture of down jackets, sportswear for extreme cold, travel sleeping bags and many other things. But the material is very expensive, and it is not easy to get it, so the cost of products from it is several times higher than similar products from goose down or synthetic materials. Today we will tell you why this fluff is unique and why it is so expensive.

Eiderdown is the fluff of a duck of the common eider species (lat. Somateria mollissima), which lives in the polar regions of the northern hemisphere. The nests of the common eider are located in the north of Eurasia and North America. Gaga builds a nest on the ground, and then heats it with its down, plucking it on its abdomen and lining it with a nest. It is this fluff that is collected by those who are engaged in the extraction of eiderdown. At the same time, the bird itself, as it is believed, does not suffer from this procedure in any way, and after returning to the nest it warms it with a new portion of fluff. The fluff obtained before the chicks appear in the nest, is cleaner and more valuable. But you can get fluff even after the chicks have grown and left the nest.

Extraction of eiderdown is a traditional folk craft in Iceland, where they have been doing this for more than a century. Today it is in this country that 90% of all eiderdown in the world is extracted, and it has the best quality. There are special farms that collect fluff and protect the nesting places of the eider from predators. In total, according to experts, around 3,000 kilograms of this valuable material are collected annually in the world. In addition to Iceland, the eider down fishery is also engaged in Norway, Canada and Russia. Until 1990, eiderdown was mined in the Kandalaksha Reserve on the shores of the Barents Sea. But today in our country the volumes of extraction of eiderdown are insignificant.

Eiderdown in its heat-insulating properties is far ahead of its closest pursuers - goose down and synthetic winterizer. In addition, eiderdown rests perfectly in shape and maintains volume, which prevents it from moving inside a sleeping bag or jacket, as is often the case with other heaters. But you can get only 15-20 grams of fluff from one gaga nest. That is why it is so valued in the world market.