This year looks to see continued success for long-haired furs from the NWT, according to Mark Downey, chief executive officer of Fur Harvesters Auction Inc.
Mark Downey, left, the CEO of Fur Harvesters Auction watches as a buyer for a Japanese firm inspects NWT marten pelts at an auction in Seattle.
"Long haired items are what NWT is known for," says Downey, listing lynx, wolves, coyotes and sables like martin as the main commodities.
Last year, lynx furs were selling for an average of $95.23, with the top fur sold for $351. Coyotes sold for up to $221, with differences for size and location harvested. Wolves, a heavy hitter, sold in January 2017 for an average of $329,37, with the top hitting $825.50.
"Last year we had a pretty good year and we're hoping to hit those levels and a little uptick as well," says Downey.
While Northern furs didn't make a big showing at this month's auction in North Bay, ON, Downey says most of the NWT's product has been set aside for the year's biggest auction in Helsinki, Finland, in March. They'll also be on offer at the second-biggest back in Canada in April.
Downey says the biggest driver of these furs' success is fashion – parka trim, in particular. Canada Goose and its competitors use coyote and lynx fur as trim on their hoods, and there is a lot of demand for these coats.
"Also, sable hoods and sable collars on mink coat garments in Europe are very fashionable now, and in Russia as well," says Downey.
Full-length coats made from NWT martin is also a hot commodity, he says, and martins are usually harvested in small numbers, so the demand is high and the supply is low.
The downside is that fashion trends haven't really found a spot for water mammals like beavers, otters and muskrats in today's markets, so these prices are stagnating.
Behdzi Ahda First Nation Chief Wilbert Kochon says two young men from Colville Lake will be going to attend fur-grading training from Fur Harvesters Auction Inc. in North Bay, ON, but they hadn't narrowed the candidates down by press time.
He says the flight was planned for Sunday, but everyone's been busy working all week.
"We still need to choose, out of six," says Kochon, adding with a laugh: "And then we have to find some money too – so we gotta work fast."