Jillian Dickens
Northern News Services

Iqaluit (Nov 21/05) - Keep the Nunavut turbot quota for the territory.

That's what a number of fisheries, and the minister of Environment, is telling the federal government.

The stand is coming after the Department of Fisheries and Oceans consulted with southern fishing interests on a 2,500 tonne turbot quota increase scheduled for approval in the new year.

The quota is for area, which begins just off Qikiqtarjuaq and extends to Ellesmere Island.

"The quota should go to Nunavut," said Jacopie Maniapik, Pangnirtung Fisheries chair. "All of it."

Nunavut Environment Minister Olayuk Akesuk concurs.

"We're not very happy with that. We want 100 per cent of new quota until we reach 80 to 90 per cent control of all Nunavut's quota," said Minister Akesuk.

Nunavut's fishing fleet now has three ships "so we have the capacity to fish this quota and the only way we can expand the fleet is to have more quota," said the minister.

Now, Nunavut has 62 per cent of all adjacent Nunavut turbot quota.

If they were awarded 100 per cent of the 2,500 tonnes, they would have 67 per cent of the total allocation.

Kevin Stringer, director general of resource management in the Fisheries Management Group for DFO, says his department is consulting stakeholders because the quota is a part of a larger stock which affects southern interests.

He says DFO consults Nunavut interests on shrimp quota adjacent to the south.

As far as who should get what, Stringer says the decision lies with minister Geoff Regan.

However, the minister has indicated he would like to see a proportional increase for Nunavut, said Stringer.

How much remains to be seen. Other coastal jurisdictions have up to 90 per cent control of commercial quotas.

Nunavut's total shrimp and turbot quotas combined equal a 38 per cent control.

"Nunavut's fishery is at a developmental stage," said Stringer. "The (southern) fishermen have been involved in the fishery for a long time."

Nunavut groups, including the government, the Baffin Fisheries Coalition, Nunavut Wildlife Management Board and Nunavut Tunngavik Trust, funded 51 per cent of specialized research for area OA. This totalled roughly $350,000. The feds paid about 49 per cent, or $300,000.

Part of DFO's mandate is to pay for and conduct scientific research for marine areas.