John Thompson
Northern News Services

Broughton Island (June 13/05) - When David Nuqingaq arrived back home in Qikiqtarjuaq, his clothes still smelled awfully fishy.

After spending a month fishing the choppy waters of area OB on the first voyage of his community's own fishing vessel, he returned carrying the tang of brine and turbot.

"It was hard work," he said, describing the 16-hour shifts spent lopping the heads off and gutting fish.

Qikiqtarjuaq fishermen split away from the Baffin Fishing Coalition and created their own fishing company, Masiliit, in January this year.

In early February they bought a fishing licence and their own boat, a 100-foot fixed-gear vessel named Genny and Doug.

Four Inuit fishermen were aboard with 12 other men as they left port in St. John's, Nfld., and plied the waves for 30 days.

Their trip was not without problems.

Twice the hauler used to drag gillnets back into the boat broke. The first time, about a week into their trip, they dropped anchor off Labrador and waited for a helicopter to land on the ice nearby to provide the needed spare part.

But the same problem occurred about a week later, forcing them dock at Nuuk, Greenland, for further repairs.

With the setbacks caused by mechanical problems, the crew docked in Nuuk at the end of their voyage with only a quarter of their freezer holds full of boxed turbot.