I wasn't even referring to the economics of trapping. I defend it based on wildlife management. It is defensible and the right thing to do.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying trapping is wrong. I'm just saying the practice comes off quite badly in the feel good media, and I, personally, don't want to kill anything unless it becomes food, or it's self-defense.
By the same token, I have no problem with hunting predators like mountain lions and grizzlies. I just have a personal problem with the method, i.e. trappping. Imagine jumping out of a plane and coming down inside the treeline, with your parachute's canopy entangling with the upper branches, swinging like a helpless fool. It happened to me.
I also trapped raccoons as a teenager in the Catskills. I built a big box trap with a door that dropped when they pulled the bait. I'm glad I did it just for fun and let them go.