by Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (DEC 02/96) - The next few weeks are critical for the future of NWT trappers.

Canadian, Russian and American negotiators are hoping an agreement signed early last week in Brussels will pave the way around a European fur ban slated to snap into effect Jan. 1.

The agreement specifies which types of traps are acceptable as "humane" to the Europeans. The European Union planned to implement the ban on furs from animals harvested in what they consider an inhumane fashion.

"We thought things went pretty good," said territorial representative and renewable resources assistant deputy minister Bob McLeod. "We reached an agreement on the text between Russia, Europe and Canada. The Americans are pretty close. They've just got a couple of areas they want to check up on and a couple they want to change."

The agreement now goes to the various countries for review by their respective governments. The final say goes to the environment ministers of the European Union at a meeting scheduled for Dec. 9.

McLeod said 75 per cent of the wild fur harvested in Canada is sold in Europe. Territorial trappers account for 12 per cent of national output.

In the NWT, 15,000 people are eligible to trap. It is the main source of income for about 2,500 Northerners.

The European Union has threatened to stop the import of furs for the last two years. It considers all leg hold traps inhumane, except for those set to kill in water.

"There's been a large amount of research being done on developing humane trapping systems in Canada, and the NWT has been at the forefront." said McLeod.

Five years ago the federal government introduced a program in which trappers could trade leg hold devices for "quick kill" traps. More than 100,000 traps have been traded under it since then.

The government has also trained 5,000 - 6,000 trappers in humane trapping practices.

Ironically, a number of European countries use leg hold traps for what they consider "pest control".

In Holland, for example, 400,000 muskrats are caught using the traps each year. Toothed leg hold traps are still available for purchase in Europe, said McLeod.