North Bay Fur Auction traps global market: prices up across the board for popular pelt sell-off.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 The United States and Canada share a unique legal relationship. U.S. law looks northward with a mixture of optimism and cooperation, viewing Canada as an integral part of U.S. economic and environmental policy. , 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 marten, name for carnivorous, largely arboreal mammals (genus Martes) of the weasel family, widely distributed in North America, Europe, and central Asia. Martens are larger, heavier-bodied animals than weasels, with thick fur and bushy tails. up there (in the North-west Territories)." They are also promoting ring sealskins, getting a handsome $60 per pelt pelt the undressed, raw skin of a wild animal with the fur in place. If from a sheep or goat there is a short growth of wool or mohair on the skin. . Collectors from various corners of the world also bid on the unique Narwhal narwhal (när`wəl), a small arctic whale, Monodon monoceros. The males of this species, and an occasional female, bear a single, tightly spiraled tusk that measures up to 9 ft (2.7 m) in length. 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 fur·ri·er n. 1. One that deals in furs. 2. One whose occupation is the dressing, designing, cleaning, or repairing of furs. . 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 This article may contain original research or unverified claims. Please help Wikipedia by adding references. See the for details. This article has been tagged since February 2007. In the Fur is a Pop/Alternative Indie Rock band from the Philadelphia area. trade business here are beaver, raccoon raccoon, nocturnal New World mammal of the genus Procyon. The common raccoon of North America, Procyon lotor, also called coon, is found from S Canada to South America, except in parts of the Rocky Mts. and in deserts. and muskrat muskrat, North American aquatic rodent. The common muskrats, species of the genus Ondatra, are sometimes called by their Native American name, musquash. . 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." www.furharvesters.com By KELLY LOUISEIZE Northern Ontario Business Northern Ontario Business is a Canadian magazine, which publishes monthly in Greater Sudbury, Ontario. The magazine covers business news and issues in Northern Ontario. |
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