NWT furs pelt the market
Best prices for trappers in two years at Finland sale; auction brings home nearly $500,000
Jessica Davey-Quantick
Northern News Services
Monday, April 10, 2017
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
NWT fur made a splash in Helsinki, resulting in the best sales for NWT trappers in two years, with the price of marten rising by 76 per cent.
Before heading to Helsinki, wild furs trapped in the Mackenzie Valley were showcased at the China Fur & Leather Products Fair in Beijing in January, where last year's booth, shown here, was duplicated. - photo courtesy of Francois Rossouw |
"The demand was there," said Francois Rossouw, a fur marketing specialist with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, adding that upswings in the global market as well as manufacturers needing to restock led to the high returns.
The annual Saga, American Legend and Fur Harvesters fur auction in Helsinki, Finland, brought home $499,872.07 for NWT wild furs sold under the Genuine Mackenzie Valley fur brand - nearly double the result from last year's auction.
"The fur trade is the heart of our territory's cultural and economic history, it is also an important part of our shared future. We're pleased to see the fur industry rebound for the benefit of trappers and their families," stated Wally Schumann, minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment in a news release.
Marten made up $430,000 of the total sales, with the average price at $113.35, 76 per cent higher than the year before.
"That was fantastic. Marten is our cash crop for the Northwest Territories," said Roussouw.
"So we really do rely on that particular species. We are known around the world for our marten, so really, it's fantastic. I mean it doesn't get any better than that."
Canadian marten, otherwise known as Canadian sable, is second only to Russian sable but sells for a cheaper price.
"Ours are sort of the next best thing, even Russians buy our sable," said Roussouw.
But while the demand is there, the product might not be.
Roussouw said production of marten in particular has been declining in the NWT.
"That could be for a number of factors, climate change being one," he said. "In the last three years we've had some really bad forest fire seasons which have been destroying habitat, and it's hard for the trappers to get out."
Roussouw is optimistic that may change, as the rising prices means more trappers will be willing to put in the additional effort to harvest the harder-to-find furs.
"We will see more people out there," said Roussouw.
The department estimates traditional economies, such as fur trapping, generate more than $2 million for the NWT economy annually.
"This is good for the communities, no two ways about it," said Roussouw.
