Preliminary Fur Auction Results

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Blog Entries

March 27, 2023

The Fur Harvesters Auction (FHA) House in North Bay, Ontario, completed its first auction of the year in March and the first in-person auction since 2019.  It made a big difference to have buyers in-house to inspect the goods and actively compete at the auction. At any one time there were between 60-70 international fur buyers in the room.

Northwest Territories (NWT) harvesters sold almost 100% of their fur at this auction. NWT species such as beaver, lynx, marten, wolf, and wolverine sold very well bringing in top dollar across the board.

Beaver was the big winner, with prices more than doubling over previous auctions.

Preliminary summary of results in Canadian dollars:

  • Beaver averaged $40 and sold 100% of what was offered. The top beaver lot sold for $173.
  • Arctic (white) fox sold 100%, averaging $83.
  • Marten had 100% clearance and prices improved; The top lot sold for $102 with NWT sections averaging $69.
  • Canadian lynx had 99% clearances, averaging $136 with the top lot going for $226.
  • Arctic wolves had 96% clearances, averaging $350 with top lot fetching $1,260.
  • Wolverine had 96% clearances, averaging $604 with the top lot bring in $808.
  • Ermine and squirrel both sold at 100% clearance.

Through the Departments of ITI and ENR and their collective delivery of the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur (GMVF) Program, the GNWT is committed to supporting the activities of the traditional economy.

ITI facilitates the promotion, marketing, and sale of Northwest Territories furs through the auctions at the Fur Harvesters Auction. This industry partnership continues to realize benefits including national and international exposure, positive recognition of the Genuine Mackenzie Valley Fur brand and convenient access to world fur markets. To help harvesters see more profit, ITI covers the cost of shipping furs to auction and auction sale costs including sales commissions, drumming and handling fees.

For more information regarding the March auction, please contact: 

Mark Downey CEO Fur Harvesters Auction INC.

mdowney@furharvesters.com

1-705-498-5318

or 

Nathan Kogiak,

Fur Marketing and Sales Coordinator,

Industry, Tourism and Investment, GNWT

nathan_kogiak@gov.nt.ca 1-867-767-9219 EXT 63108