Kirsten Murphy
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Oct 01/01) - Hardly anyone here knew about scallops three years ago.

Today, the bite-sized morsels are popping up in Belcher Island stews, soups and salads thanks to the community's Hunters and Trappers Association.

Scallops from the sea. Sanikiluaq fishers hope to turn their small-scale scallop fishery into a commercial industry one day.

"I like them fried with a little butter," says Lucassie Arragutainaq, secretary manager of the association.

Unharvested scallop beds have surrounded the islands for generations. Not until the government sponsored the "Fishing for Dollars" program in 1999, though, were the deep-dwelling shellfish identified as a potential commercial resource.

Much has changed in three years. Last month, 450 kilograms of scallops were "dragged" from nearby waters -- the start of a small-scale test fishery under the HTA's auspice.

And there is potential for more. The problem is Sanikiluaq lacks the facilities to launch, let alone profit from, a commercial scallop operation. Without a proper shucking and packing facility, shipping the meat to nearby markets in Nunavut, Quebec, Ontario or Manitoba is practically impossible.

Even with the proper facilities, the cost of air freight promises to be exorbitant for a new business.

At the same time, Arragutainaq knows scallops mean economic freedom for a community long without a sustainable resource.

What to do?

Introduce them as a food source for now, he says. Then push for the infrastructure required to market them on a large scale.

Possible solutions

The territorial Department of Sustainable Development is one of the most likely funding sources if and when expansion occurs.

Carey Bonnell, director of fisheries and sealing for the department, said Sanikiluaq is on the right track.

"We're always looking at opportunities to further develop emerging fisheries," said Bonnell.

In August, Newfoundland-based fisheries consultant John Melindy introduced dragging equipment. The gear is ideal for harvesting scallops on a small scale. In fact, Melindy was the private consultant behind the 1999 Fishing for Dollars project.

Four fishers, including Arrag-utainaq, received the training. The framed nets with long rope drop between 36 and 45 metres down. Not only are scallops "dragged" into the net, so are sea cucumbers, sea urchins and blue mussels -- all of which have their own commercial potential.

Residents have eagerly snapped up scallops at $4 a kilogram, or $9 a pound.

"We didn't know if people would buy them. It's new. But they have," Arragutainaq says.

He and Melindy have long believed in the scallop as a viable commercial product. "The problem is the amount of infrastructure required is tremendous," Melindy says.

Arragutainaq plans to seek funding sources and partnerships to get the industry off the ground in the coming year.

The hamlet's senior administrative officer, Brian Fleming, says the project

has potential. "It's a test pilot. It's being kept small for now," Fleming says.