HAY RIVER - The total catch of fish from Great Slave Lake this past summer declined slightly over last year.

Alex Richardson: NWT Fishermen's Federation president says summer catch on Great Slave Lake was decent. - NNSL file photo

However, the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC) is positive about the final number.

"It was down very slightly compared to last year," said Doug Clayton, the FFMC's field operations manager for Alberta and the NWT.

In fact, Clayton explained the Great Slave Lake catch would likely have exceeded last summer if the fishery hadn't begun a week later than usual and ended a week early.

The rule of thumb is that the fishery runs from mid-June to September.

The start this summer was delayed by ice on the lake.

Last summer, the catch of all species totaled 263,000 kg, compared to about 260,000 kg this summer. (The figure includes about 10,000 kg of pickerel from Kakisa Lake.)

"A drop of that amount is pretty modest, obviously," Clayton said..

The previous six years all saw declines in the total catch.

The catch on Great Slave Lake includes species such as whitefish, lake trout, northern pike and inconnu.

Clayton said the production of whitefish from the lake dropped from 225,000 kg last summer to 203,000 kg this summer.

"Whitefish is the backbone of the fishery," he said, adding it is unclear what contributed to the decline.

On the other hand, the production of lake trout increased from a little less than 16,000 kg last summer to more than 25,000 kg this summer.

Alex Richardson, the president of the NWT Fishermen's Federation, also found the numbers somewhat encouraging.

"I think it's looking pretty decent," he said.

The total catch would have exceeded last summer if the fishery had started and finished at the same time as in previous years, he said.

Richardson said the summer fishery ended early when fishermen experienced some problems, including a few mechanical breakdowns.

Other boats were not fishing for weeks at a time during the season, also because of mechanical problems.

"Stuff like that happens that you have no control over," Richardson said.

Part of the reason for the relatively positive numbers this summer may have been the participation of a limited number of southerners for the first time.

Last year, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans began making 10 certificates for fishing vessels on Great Slave Lake available to non-residents of the NWT in an effort to stimulate the dwindling industry.

The southern involvement is hoped to provide more fish for the Hay River fish plant operated by the FFMC.

Any fish from the lake destined for export out of the NWT has to go through the Crown corporation, although fishers themselves can sell to local markets.

This summer, three fishing certificates were taken by non-residents, and 39 certificates were claimed by NWT residents. Meanwhile, the subject of the Great Slave Lake fishery was recently raised in the legislative assembly by Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen.

She said NWT fishermen have been saddled with the FFMC for too long, and called on the territorial government to get more involved in helping the industry.

"I think it's a win-win situation if we could come up with an NWT marketing corporation for the fish," she said in the legislature on Oct. 19. "The government should step in on this and go in on it whole hog." Richardson declined to comment on Groenewegen's statement, saying he has not been able to talk to her about the idea.