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Lynx
Harvest Levels
Lynx
are harvested from November 1 to March
15 in the NWT, with their fur becoming prime in late November and is at its highest quality during December
and January. Trappers focus their efforts during this prime time to
ensure only top quality pelts are available for sale at auction. Lynx are curious and
relatively easy to capture. They follow regular routes and can be caught along
them, especially in places such as portages between lakes.
Harvesters
can assess their harvests to determine the status of the lynx population in
their region, and can adjust harvest pressure accordingly.
When the lynx population is increasing or high, up to 50% of the harvest
will be kittens. In low periods
there will be few or no kittens harvested.
The sex ratio of the harvest may also show the stage of the population
cycle. A harvest of more males than
females suggests a high population level, while more females than males are
usually caught during a low population level.
If
harvesters find that lynx numbers are high or increasing, they can continue an
unrestricted harvest, because enough young will survive to replace the animals
harvested. If harvesters find that
lynx numbers are decreasing or low, harvest pressure should be reduced until a
year or two into the increase of the population.
To reduce harvest pressure, harvesters are encouraged to harvest for a
shorter season, from the onset of prime fur until the end of January. This
results in harvesting lynx that may normally die from winter hardships, protects
breeding animals, and ensures that only prime pelts are taken.
The
value of lynx pelts fluctuates because fashion trends and the number of pelts
available affect the fur industry. With
changing supply and demand, highest prices for pelts often correspond with the
low in the lynx cycle.
|
Year
|
Harvest
|
Average price per
pelt
|
Total Value |
| 1992/1993 |
873 |
$66.25 |
$57,834 |
| 1993/1994 |
419 |
$90.64 |
$37,980 |
| 1994/1995 |
521 |
$81.20 |
$42,299 |
| 1995/1996 |
536 |
$98.39 |
$52,736 |
| 1996/1997 |
1108 |
$99.80 |
$110,571 |
| 1997/1998 |
1011 |
$90.51 |
$91,510 |
| 1998/1999 |
709 |
$71.15 |
$50,444 |
| 1999/2000 |
1491 |
$53.21 |
$79,343 |
| 2000/2001 |
1330 |
$82.05 |
$109,115 |
| 2001/2002 |
711 |
$119.56 |
$85,012 |
| 2002/2003 |
546 |
$152.90 |
$83,486 |
| 2003/2004 |
554 |
$175.80 |
$97,393 |
The lynx harvest
is important to NWT fur harvesters located below the treeline.
Harvesting lynx, as well as other furbearers, provides a cash income and
enables aboriginal people to continue a lifestyle that has been a tradition in the
North for thousands of years. NWT
Lynx
are harvested in compliance with the Agreement
on International Humane Trap Standards. The NWT has committed to
implementing these standards and enforcing the use of certified humane
traps.
For
more information on the types of humane traps used in the NWT, contact the
Humane Trap Research and Development website at
http://www.fur.ca/index-e/index.asp
Northwest
Territories Trapping Regulations (WordPerfect
or
PDF)
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