Iqaluit (Feb 20/06) - Iqaluit won't be joining a new community fishing alliance.

That's what Gideonie Joamie of the Iqaluit hunters and trappers association said last week.

Gideonie Joamie says Iqaluit's HTO has no interest in joining a new, community-based fishing association.

"At no time have we shown any interest in the coalition between Masiliit, Cumberland Sound and Mamatulirijiit," said Joamie, president of Quliruaq, the business arm of Iqaluit's HTA, after reading about the idea in last week's Nunavut News/North.

Masiliit Corporation in Qikiqtarjuaq, Cumberland Sound in Pangnirtung and Mamatulirijiit in Clyde River have voiced interest in working together for a better chance at gaining fish quota in the area known as "OA," which frames the Baffin coast from south of Qikiqtarjuaq up to Ellesmere Island.

Clyde River councillor Nick Illuaq has an interest in Mamatulirijiit. He says getting the community of Pond Inlet on side the alliance is important, but getting Iqaluit involved is not.

"I don't really think that they matter to us. They can work with (the Baffin Fisheries Coalition) all they want," said Illuaq.

He explained that Iqaluit is adjacent to area OB (Southern Baffin). The proposed association would be fighting for access to area OA fish stocks, not area OB.

Pond Inlet's HTO president Jayko Alooloo was unavailable for comment.

The HTOs of Pond Inlet, Clyde River, Pangnirtung, Iqaluit and Kimmirut, as well as five Nunavut businesses, sit on the BFC's board.

Qikiqtarjuaq's HTO and Cumberland Sound pulled away from the board over the last two years.

In the past, Iqaluit has threatened to do the same, but Joamie says those issues have been addressed.

"We have ironed out our differences and have worked through them and are steadfast in supporting BFC's goals," he said.

On Dec. 13, 2005, the Iqaluit HTA held elections and a new group of members were elected to the board.

Joamie said Senator Willie Adams, who has shown support for the possible association, should not be supporting one group or another.

"It's interesting that our senator has endorsed a group. It would be more appropriate if our senator could lobby on behalf of all our communities. It's very disappointing that our senator doesn't support unity."

Illuaq says the idea behind the association is to provide direct benefit to the communities, in the form of jobs and money.

The HTO's formula is to split 85 per cent earnings between the HTOs on board - which is roughly $100,000 per year each, said Joamie.

This practice began two years ago, so in the last two years BFC has given the HTOs roughly $1.2 million. The remaining 15 per cent is divided among three companies on the board - Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, Arquiq and Kabva, he said.

During the first three years of BFC's inception, the Memorandum of Understanding stated no group on the board would directly benefit at that time, he said.

Illuaq says the $100,000 a year for Clyde River just isn't good enough.

"With us, we'll hand over 50 per cent of our profits to the HTAs," he said.

He estimates that could come up to $270,000 a year. He says the plan of the new association would be to acquire quota, divide it among the companies in the association, which would lead to fishing jobs for each community in the association.

"This would give more jobs for Clyde River. It would put the communities as a key player in the Nunavut fisheries, rather than receiving hand outs as it is now," Illuaq said.

Joamie said since the BFC was created in 2001, it has invested $1 million in the Nunavut Fisheries Training consortium, has invested in two vessels; is now looking at acquiring other vessels; has invested in the inshore exploratory fisheries; and has a research fund of $500,000 waiting to be tapped into.

If the BFC gets additional quotas (there is a projected 2,500 tonne turbot quota increase in area OA to be announced by the federal government in the future), 30 per cent of the revenues will be set aside for the acquisition of vessels, 20 per cent for community infrastructure, 30 per cent to HTAs and 20 per cent to companies, explained Joamie.

He couldn't say exactly how many Inuit fishermen are employed through the BFC.