On June 21-22, the Fur Institute of Canada held its Annual General Meeting in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, and presented three awards honouring lifelong contributions to animal welfare and conservation of furbearers.

The awards vary from year to year, with this year's presentations being the Neal Jotham Award, the North American Furbearer Conservation Award, and the Lloyd Cook Award. .

SEE ALSO: Lifelong contributions honoured at 2023 Fur Institute awards. Truth About Fur.

Neal Jotham Award

First presented by the FIC in 2014, the Neal Jotham Award recognises its late namesake's contributions to animal welfare, and in particular his leadership in creating international standards for humane trapping systems.

SEE ALSO: RIP Neal Jotham: A Life Dedicated to Humane Trapping. Truth About Fur.

Sponsored by the Saskatchewan Trappers Association, this year's award went to Ross White, a prominent figure in the wild fur trade for many years.

White is a long-time active member of the Trappers Association of Nova Scotia, including serving on its Board. Above all, he is known as a tireless advocate for trapper education and engagement, and for introducing the next generation to trapping.

White played a key role behind the scenes in negotiations in the mid-1990s on the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS). Though officially an inter-governmental process involving Canada, the US, the EU and Russia, Canada's negotiating team recognized the value of accessing the best available knowledge that only trappers could provide. White was key in making sure trapping associations provided the funding needed to enable Howard Noseworthy (see below) to stay in Brussels to support and advise North American negotiators.

Said FIC Board member Mike O'Brien in his presentation speech, "He ‘got’ the changing world that trappers are working within and the need for trapping practices and trapper education to develop and evolve to respond to the changing world. He understood fully the importance of improving trapping practices and trapper knowledge and skills, and of achieving inherent acceptable levels of animal welfare as critical to maintaining the social licence to trap and sustainably harvest wildlife."

North American Furbearer Conservation Award

The North American Furbearer Conservation Award, initiated by North American Fur Auctions and continued by the FIC, recognises individuals and organisations that have made significant contributions in the sustainable management of furbearers. This year’s award went to Newfoundland native Howard Noseworthy.

In 1981, Noseworthy became President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Trappers Association, overseeing the province's implementation of a mandatory trapper education program. Upon stepping down as President, he assumed the role of Trapper Education Coordinator.

From 1992-97, he served on several joint Canada-US delegations to the EU, meeting with parliamentarians and bureaucrats to explain North America's trapping regime and model of wildlife conservation, and the need for the AIHTS. Concurrently, he was a member of the Canadian Advisory Committee to ISO TC 191 on the development of humane trapping standards, eventually leading to the trap-testing standard that now underpins the AIHTS.

As a resource person to the Canadian delegation negotiating the AIHTS, Noseworthy was described by Don Maclauchlan, then with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, as "a rock – a reliable and steadfast fountain of insightful and accurate information that we so desperately needed."

During the same period, Noseworthy also facilitated the union of the Canadian Trappers Federation and Trappers Alliance into the Canadian National Trappers Alliance, serving as President until 1997.

From 1997 until 2008, Noseworthy served as General Manager of the Ontario Fur Managers Federation, which took on many of the former roles of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, including trapper licencing and education.

In 2008, Noseworthy moved to Fur Harvesters Auction, still in Ontario, as Director of Planning & Development, a position he holds to this day. At the FHA, he has overseen efforts to promote wild fur internationally, including playing a major role in the development of the North American Wild Fur Certification protocol which acts as the basis for audits of wild fur certified under the International Fur Federation's Furmark program.

Said Nova Scotia trapper Ross White of Noseworthy, "This man has the ability to take a big problem and reduce it with just a few words. He is thoughtful, respectful and forward-thinking. ... Having this man, as intelligent as he is, representing the fur industry is a big plus when things have to move forward."

Lloyd Cook Award

First presented by the FIC in 1993, the Lloyd Cook Award recognises the commitment of its late namesake to excellence in trapping, trapper education, and public understanding of wildlife management. Among the posts held by Cook in his lifetime were President of the Canadian Trappers Federation and of the Ontario Trappers Association, forerunner of today’s Ontario Fur Managers Federation.

Sponsored by Fur Harvesters Auction, this year’s award went to Frank Phillips, who unfortunately was unable to attend our AGM.

In the 1980s, Phillips was instrumental in starting trapper education within the Wildlife Department in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador. He adapted the Ontario trapper education course for use in Newfoundland and Labrador, and also authored the province's version of the manual.

He also conducted trapper education and pelt-handling courses throughout Labrador, often traveling by snowmobile. Among his teachings were how trappers could get better prices for pelts by dealing directly with their provincial trappers association, and the importance of switching from traditional leghold traps to more efficient and humane traps, such as conibears.

As many in the industry are aware, Fur Harvesters Auction is boosting its operations to better serve North American trappers and the fur industry worldwide. For an update, we contacted FHA’s Director of Planning and Development, Howard Noseworthy.

TruthAboutFur: Good to speak with you Howard. So how long has Fur Harvesters Auction been serving trappers and the fur industry?

Howard Noseworthy: We trace our roots back to the auction launched in North Bay by the old Ontario Trappers Association, in 1947. The current name and structure of Fur Harvesters Auction was set up in 1991.

TaF: And it is quite a special structure, isn’t it?

Noseworthy: Yes, Fur Harvesters Auction is a 50/50 partnership between indigenous and non-indigenous trappers, and that 50/50 partnership carries right through to the composition of our Board of Directors. The president also rotates every two years between native and non-native trappers. And I am happy to say this partnership has truly been wonderful; it’s served us well for the past 28 years, and hopefully will continue for many years to come.

TaF: We hear that Fur Harvesters Auction is in the process of expanding its operations. What can you tell us about that?

Noseworthy: Fur Harvesters Auction is certainly in growth mode. We are considerably expanding our network of agents servicing trappers, across both Canada and the US. As part of this expansion, we have taken over a facility in Winnipeg to handle western Canadian furs. All our western coyotes will be graded in Winnipeg by an experienced team that is well known to trappers, headed up by Mary Schellenberg.

TaF: We understand that you are stepping things up in the US as well.

Noseworthy: Yes, we are also ramping up the capacity of our facility in Cambridge, Wisconsin, to better serve US trappers. All our US and Canadian raccoons will be graded by the Cambridge team, as well as the majority of US coyotes. We are increasing the number of employees in the US to handle these new responsibilities.

TaF: And we hear there is also some exciting news from northern Canada.

Noseworthy: Yes, on December 11, we were proud to announce a new collaboration with the North West Company whereby Northern and NorthMart stores, across northern Canada, will be acting as our agents. They will receive furs and provide indigenous and other northern trappers with cash advances for pelts they send to auction. This will further expand our offering of the finest northern furs while providing an important service for remote communities.

TaF: And what about your headquarters in North Bay, Ontario?

Noseworthy: We are increasing the size of our team in North Bay as well, so we can handle greater volumes of fur. We expect that the larger collection of fine North American wild furs in one location will attract more buyers, which should result in higher prices for trappers.

TaF: Speaking of prices, how do you see the wild fur market playing out in the coming year?

Noseworthy: We expect coyotes to remain very strong. Better bobcats will also continue at good levels. Muskrats are actually quite strong too; they have been selling through, which is important. Beaver actually saw a little bump this year - prices gained about 18% in the May sale, compared with March - but of course that’s from a low baseline so we still have a long way to go. But demand and prices are strong and still increasing for castoreum, so that helps. Sables should hold current levels. Otters and fishers, unfortunately, are still having trouble. But from what we hear from our customers, the trimming trade is performing well and should be an increasingly important factor. We definitely see some good opportunities emerging for wild fur.

TaF: Fur Harvesters Auction also provides trapping supplies, doesn’t it?

Noseworthy: Oh yes, our agents and depots carry a full range of traps and trapping supplies, and all of our traps comply with the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards.

TaF: On a more personal level, Howard, how did you get involved in the fur business?

Noseworthy: Ah, well, I’ve been at this for quite a while. I began trapping when I was 23, and that’s more than 40 years ago. I was active in the Newfoundland and Labrador Trappers Association, and was elected president. The legendary Alec Shieff asked me to set up the first Ontario Trappers Association depot in Newfoundland. After that I worked with the Ontario Fur Managers Federation for 11 years, before moving here to North Bay. I’ve been here for about 11 years now.

TaF: So you have a true ground-up knowledge of the fur business.

Noseworthy: Yes, and I still grade fur too. In fact, all of us here at Harvesters grade fur, even Mark Downey, the CEO. Mark grades lynx and bobcats. That’s part of what makes Fur Harvesters such a special auction house, I think. We understand all sides of the business. We’re close to our buyers, of course, and we understand the market and its needs, but we also understand what it’s like getting wet and cold when you’re out on the trap line. Fur is in our blood.

TaF: Any thought of adding farmed fur to the offering?

Noseworthy: Many people don’t realize that while we’re primarily a wild fur house, we have also been selling the largest collection of North American farmed fox for some time. We have also handled small numbers of farmed mink. As for the future, we’ll see what it brings.

TaF: Anything else important that you see on the horizon?

Noseworthy: One very important event for the industry will be the implementation of the new FurMark program, that begins in 2020. The program is spearheaded through the International Fur Federation and will provide assurance to consumers that furs they buy are produced responsibly. We believe this will be very important for the industry, and Fur Harvesters is supporting it strongly.

TaF: Busy times!

Noseworthy: For sure. For now we’re continuing to focus on providing the best service we can for producers and for the industry as a whole - and we think our role is more important now than ever.

TaF: Thank you for this update, Howard.

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For information about Fur Harvesters Auction's pick-up and auction schedules, trapping supplies, and other matters, please visit its website. And be sure to check out its Facebook page too.