By KELLY LOUISEIZE
Furriers from all corners of the world gravitate four times a year to North Bay's Fur Harvesters Auction.
In the last three years, the company has been "beating the bushes in the world" to get raw product to North Bay, says Fur Harvesters Auction Inc. director Jim Gibb.
Over 7,000 trappers bring in pelts from more than 30 species of animal from across Canada and the United States and sell to over 350 buyers from Europe, China, Korea, Russia, Denmark, Canada and the United States, who visit the three-day auction and spend an estimated $4 million.
The highest price levels of the season were set at February's auction and the demand is strong. China and Russia competed heavily against the traditional European and North American markets.
In December 2003, Fur Harvesters entered into a partnership agreement with the government of the Northwest Territories to become the distributor for wild fur under the Genuine MacKenzie Valley Fur Program label.
Since then, the co-operative has seen a significant increase in the value of sales and the quality of pelts, which rose about 20 percent in the 2003-2004 season.
North Bay is already known for having the best beaver pelts in the world, but the company is working hard to attract specialty furs like North American pine marten and ring seal.
The pine marten, better known to some as sable, is a really luxurious fur, Gibb says. The February auction saw virtually all of their 28,000 pelts sold and the May auction had another 15,000 on the block.
"They have a really, really good marten up there (in the Northwest Territories)."
They are also promoting ring sealskins, getting a handsome $60 per pelt. Collectors from various corners of the world also bid on the unique Narwhal tusks.
"We sold one for $20,000," Gibb says.
Generally, the harvester would only get $8,000 if they sold it on their own, but bringing it to North Bay tends to double the sale price.
River otter pelts are generally picked up by Chinese furriers; grey fox by Germans and raccoons by Greeks, but from there they usually go to Russian manufacturers. Russia also purchases smaller size beaver pelts (used for hats) and ring seal skins, which are also bought by a Denmark furrier. The heavier beavers are used in North America.
"Lots of the fur buyers come from Montreal, New York, Denmark, Greece, China and Russia," he says.
Close to 80 percent of their product is exported, Gibb says. Most furs are cloaked in burlap then shipped in cardboard boxes to tannery addresses.
"Sometimes it goes by air depending on the value."
Cat pelts are considered exotic species, while the three mainstays in the fur trade business here are beaver, raccoon and muskrat.
Fur Harvesters Auction Inc. is considered the middle link between the trapper and the buyer. The job of the 10 full-time employees is to combine various grades and colours of pelts from different regions so buyers can purchase bulk quantities in one showing and trappers can snag top dollar for their wares.
The May auction was expected to be packed full, with 50,000 beaver pelts and 100,000 raccoon skins ready for sale.
"We must be doing something right because (prices) are going up in almost every species."
