NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
The 2013 fur season started strong and is expected to keep pace with last year's record-setting sales, according to industry experts.
American Legend, the largest wild fur auction the NWT participates in, takes place annually in Seattle, Wash., in March. - photo courtesy of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment
|
"All signs are very positive, as reflected in the January sale," said Francois Rossouw, who oversees fur marketing for the Department of Industry, Tourism, and Investment. "Everybody has to look at what's happening out there in the world and things seem to be improving."
Rossouw said fur prices were stable in the first auction of 2013 and saw some increases over 2012.
Among the prices that increased were muskrat, which was up $2, and red fox, which was up $10.
Strong muskrat sales early in the year were predicted by the Fur Harvesters Auction Inc., which sells furs for the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur marketing program, in its 2012-2013 NWT fur forecast.
"Last year, this auction house realized the highest averages in the world (for muskrat furs) as many shippers averaged over $10," stated Mark Downey, chief executive officer of the auction house, in the forecast. "Many orders went unfilled last spring and we are expecting muskrat levels to start off very strong once again."
Downey predicted marten will "top the list" this year, pointing out that NWT marten furs averaged over $100 each in 2012.
Rossouw said Russian and Chinese markets typically make up the bulk of the demand.
The Fur Harvester's Auction forecast states the same and points to Turkey as a new emerging market.
Fur a global industry
The global demand for NWT furs means the industry is highly affected by drops and rises in the international economy, said Rossouw.
He added the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur marketing program does as much as it can to pass information on to trappers so they know what to expect in the season ahead.
"We are in the Northwest Territories – in the middle of nowhere, so to speak – and we are affected by world events," said Rossouw. "There was a slowdown here and there but overall, people seem to be far more optimistic and when that happens we benefit."
Rossouw said there are typically between 700 and 800 active trappers listed on the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur marketing program database annually.
He added that often one person is listed for a family group and may represent two or three trappers in all. As a result, there are likely between 1,000 to 1,200 people in the NWT's trapping industry, he said.
