Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (May 17/02) - "This guy's got no fat," said Fur Harvesters Auction director Jim Gibb, as he laid the beaver out across the table.

"When a beaver like this doesn't have a lot of fat, they're a lot harder to skin."

Gibb was in Fort Simpson May 8-10 to deliver a workshop on skinning techniques.

The rodent lying across the "beaver board" -- a wooden sheet used to tack, stretch and measure the pelt -- was trapped earlier by Resources, Wildlife, and Economic Development officers.

Unfortunately, May is not the best time to trap beaver. After several months under the ice, the beaver's food store is nearly exhausted, and the patch of fur above their tails is often quite worn from constantly brushing up against the ice bottom.

"If you had trapped this beaver in early March, he would've been in a lot better shape," said Gibb.

"But because winter's dragged on so long, they're in pretty rough shape."

Gibb's primary task was to help local trappers get top dollar for their pelts.

He also visited Bompas elementary school to encourage more youngsters to take up trapping as a livelihood.

"We just want to renew interest in harvesting," said RWED officer Ken Davidge.

"That's something we got to realize. We're losing our trappers. More people are getting old, but maybe we can get some of the younger people interested."

Gibb said he wasn't trying show up the older crowd.

His experience as director of Fur Harvesters -- a company based in Ontario -- has put him in a choice position to view the latest innovative techniques in properly preparing skins for market.

"You can see this skin, how it's all matted," said Gibb, pulling out a pelt and comparing it to two he had stretch earlier in the week. "A little brushing before you stretch it can make a vast improvement."

Even though Gibb's beaver was small and skinny, a perfectly stretched pelt -- tacked to the board in a circlet of nails -- was procured from the animal in about an hour.

"I've learned lots," said A.J. Augier, who said it has been sometime since he last trapped, but intends to give it another try this year. "Knowing how to skin and stretch them, I know we can get a better dollar for our fur."

Gibb gave full credit to the territorial government for encouraging the fur industry to grow, which is not always the case in Ontario.

"It's really good to the see the government take such an interest in its trappers," said Gibb.