Desire for High-Quality, Sustainable, Local Products Drives up Demand for Canadian Fur

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2:32 PM on Wednesday, April 1

The Associated Press

OTTAWA, Ontario--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 1, 2026--

By all accounts, Canada’s fur sector is experiencing a renaissance. Data from the most recent fur auction at Fur Harvesters Auction in North Bay, Ontario, reveals an increase in both demand and price for quality pelts. And Canadian products are considered top of the line.

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Buyers from many countries bid on Canadian fur at the Fur Harvesters Auction, held March 19 to 21, 2026, in North Bay, Ontario.

“There’s a growing interest in quality, long-lasting fur and seal products,” says Doug Chiasson, Executive Director of the Fur Institute of Canada. “Canada is known for the resilience and dedication of its industry, which is rooted in the tireless efforts of Indigenous and non-Indigenous trappers throughout these lands over the centuries. The good that comes out of their work and the work of all in this industry has withstood the test of time, and perhaps more than anything else, the propaganda thrown at it by others.”

Held March 19 – 21 in North Bay, the auction set a historic record in terms of prices for Canadian East Coast bobcats and Western bobcats. Bobcats from Eastern Canada averaged USD $609.26 with a high of $1,125, and bobcats from the U.S. hit a high of $4,100, averaging $1,557.82. This represents an increase of more than 300 per cent over last year’s sale for Canadian bobcats.

Prices for sable (marten) furs also set records, with a highest price of USD $310. Strong international demand drove prices, with buyers from China, South Korea, Italy, Greece, Spain, Portugal, the UK, Finland, Denmark, Canada and the U.S. all travelling to North Bay.

Many items completely sold out or sold above 95 per cent of available inventory, including beaver, otter, wild mink, sable (marten), lynx, wild foxes, raccoon, skunk, ermine, opossum, wolverine and squirrel. Industry leaders expect new investments in fur to follow suit.

“These recent auction results are a reassuring sign for Canadian trappers and all of us who believe in the benefits of wearing renewable, natural, and responsibly harvested fur,” said Doug Chiasson, Executive Director of the Fur Institute of Canada. “We hope to see the Government of Canada continue to fight for market access for our fur and seal products to get them into the hands of international customers who obviously appreciate them.”

The growth reflects consumer demand for natural, durable and responsibly sourced products, and highlights the value of fur harvested and marketed under Canada’s long-established standards for wildlife management, traceability, humane trapping and seal harvesting.

That demand is being felt across Canada’s broader fur sector, spanning wild fur, farmed fur and seal products. Wild fur includes species harvested through Canada’s regulated trapping sector, such as beaver, muskrat, coyote, lynx, marten and fisher, while farmed fur in Canada consists primarily of mink and fox. Seal fur, while also derived from a wild harvest, is marketed through Canada’s sealing sector.

This is positive news for the many Canadians, including those in rural, remote and Indigenous communities, who are connected to this trade and its long tradition of responsible harvest and use.

The fur trade in Canada now looks forward to auctions for farmed fur in Finland and the USA, the annual harp seal harvest in April, and the next wild fur auction in North Bay in June.

For more information, visit fur.ca.

About the Fur Institute of Canada / Seals & Sealing Network
The Fur Institute of Canada is the national voice of the fur sector, including the seal industry, through its Seals & Sealing Network (SSN). SSN brings together Canada’s sealing industry harvesters, processors, manufacturers, retailers, and Indigenous Peoples to promote and market high-quality and sustainable Canadian seal products (seal oil, seal meat, seal fur) through the Canadian Seal Products and Proudly Indigenous Crafts & Designs brands.

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CONTACT: For media interviews, photos, videos, or additional information, please contact:

Jacob Brunette Savard

Torchia Communications

[email protected]

438-777-8876Mary Moniz

Torchia Communications

[email protected]

647-278-0152

KEYWORD: NORTH AMERICA CANADA

INDUSTRY KEYWORD: NATURAL RESOURCES OTHER RETAIL SUSTAINABILITY ENVIRONMENT SPECIALTY FASHION OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES RETAIL

SOURCE: Fur Institute of Canada