Selling to Us

Selling Narwhal and Walrus Products to Us within Canada

Given the extensive regulations governing the purchase, sale, ownership, and transportation of narwhal and walrus products, we are very careful about purchasing from individuals. 

Narwhal tusks must have a marine mammal tag, a transportation permit, and a clear record of ownership. If you currenly own a tusk with a marine mammal tag and are looking to sell it, we may be interested. If you meet these requirements, please feel free to email us pictures of your tusk, tag, and transportation permit along with the length, condtion, your location (e.g., Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton) and a realistic price you are hoping to get. We will do our best to respond promptly. We do not buy tusks without a marine mammal tag and proper paperwork.

Walrus tusks are not tagged with marine mammal tags but we do require a transport permit and a clear record of ownership. If you currently own a tusk and are looking to sell it, we may be interested. If you meet these requirements, please feel free to email us pictures of your tusk and transportation permit along with the length, condtion, your location (e.g., Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton) and a realistic price you are hoping to get. We will do our best to respond promptly. We do not buy tusks without proper paperwork.

Canadian Laws

Please see the following link for more information on the laws regarding narwhal tusks in Canada:

http://www.canlii.org/en/ca/laws/regu/sor-93-56/latest/sor-93-56.html

Please note that

14. No person shall buy, sell, trade, barter or possess a narwhal tusk unless the licence under the authority of which the narwhal was taken is attached to the tusk.  

The license is the Marine Mammal Tag. If you have a tusk without a tag (even if your grandfather gave it to you), technically it is illegal for you to possess the tusk.  We have been advised by an officer from Fisheries & Oceans that if you find in your attic an AK-47 and a narwhal tusk without a tag, you can most likely take the AK-47 to the police and turn this in without problem, but if you report the narwhal tusk to Fisheries & Oceans they will charge you with breaking the law and seize the tusk.   

Please note that it is also illegal to "find" a tusk on the beach in the Arctic from a narwhal that died a natural death and was not hunted.  Do not take these tusks (or other marine mammal products) into the Ministry for Natural Resources asking if you can keep this as they will charge you with possessing a tusk without a tag.  

The requirement of the marine mammal tag to be with the tusk is a legal requirement of Fisheries & Oceans Canada through the Fisheries Act and the Marine Mammal Regulations and is unrelated to CITES.

Do not try selling a tusk without having a marine mammal tag.

Downsizing and Estate Sales

We have purchased many narwhal tusks from people looking to downsize as well as through estate sates. Often, people may have tusks that they have inherited from a relative and these tusks may or may not have marine mammal tags. A tusk with no marine mammal tag is not legal to be sold. However, in some cases, it may be possible to get a marine mammal tag for the tusk in order to make it legal to sell.

We have helped many people go through the process of getting a tag for their tusk from the Department of Fisheries and Ocean (DFO). This process involves contacting the DFO and giving them information about your tusk along with any paperwork you may have. If they determine your tusk is eligible for a tag, they will send a fishery officer to your location to inspect the tusk and issue the tag. After the tag is issued, your tusk will be legal to sell.

Let us know if you have a tusk that you would like to get tagged and we will see if we can asist you with the process.