Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

Coral Harbour (Jan 09/02) - Trappers in Coral Harbour are enjoying the second year of a boom in the white fox population.

According to Joani Kringayark, the wildlife officer in Repulse Bay, a total of 477 white fox pelts were purchased during two trips he made into the community.

"After the season opened in November, I went there and bought 85 foxes and when I went back in December, there were 392," said Kringayark.

Wildlife officers, as part of the Department of Sustainable Development's fur price program, purchase various kinds of pelts from hunters and trappers.

Trappers are paid $25 per pelt up front and receive the balance of money after the skins are sold at fur auctions. In some cases, fox pelts can net up to $75 or $80 per skin.

Kringayark said he expects to purchase even more skins when he travels into Coral Harbour on Jan. 14.

"A lot of people had fox pelts but they hadn't dried yet," said Kringayark. "This next trip, I'm sure I'm going to receive quite a bundle. I'm sure we'll get 400 or 500 at least."

Last year was the first year the fox population experienced a resurgence in Coral Harbour. Some 45 trappers harvested about 2,300 pelts earning $53,580.

Avid hunter Louie Bruce was one such trapper. This year, however, he said he'd set his traps aside until later in the fox season. Bruce said extra work taken on by his wife this winter made it tough for the family to process the skins.

"We couldn't keep up with it this year because she did my son's foxes and mine," explained Bruce.

"When she catches up and the light starts to come back, we'll go back out," he said.