Nunavut to get more turbot
Quota increase means millions, more access to Nunavut resources for Inuit
Beth Brown
Northern News Services
Saturday, February 4, 2017
NUNAVUT
Nunavut's fishing industry is expecting to reel in millions in added revenue during coming seasons.
Qikiqtaaluk Corporation's factory freezer trawler Saputi can carry 900 tonnes of turbot. Fisheries and Oceans recently announced a quota increase for the Nunavut turbot fishery in two areas around Baffin Island. - photo courtesy of Jerry Ward
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On Jan. 23, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans released turbot quotas for 2017 and 2018 for what is known as the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) sub-area 0.
The sub-area includes two Nunavut fishing grounds adjacent to Baffin Island known as division 0A and 0B.
The total allowable catch for each area was increased by 575 tonnes, bringing the turbot quota to 8,575 tonnes for zone 0A and 7,575 tonnes for zone 0B.
DFO estimates the quota increase will create an added value of $6.6 million for Nunavut harvesters.
Jerry Ward, director of fisheries for Qikiqtaaluk Corporation, one of four main fish harvesting organizations in the territory, said the 1,150 tonne increase could make this dollar value even higher.
"From a revenue perspective it will equate to somewhere between $7 and $8 million," he said.
"The export value of the fishery in Nunavut today for turbot and shrimp is between $110 and $120 million. It's a sizable increase at one time."
The quota will also create more employment opportunities for Nunavummiut, he said.
In zone 0A, Nunavut fishers have been granted access to 100 per cent of the quota increase.
In the more southern area of 0B, 90 per cent will go to Nunavut companies, while the remaining 10 per cent is allotted for the Nunavik industry, as is required by its land claim agreement. DFO estimates hat Nunavik harvesters will see a $353,000 increase in annual revenue.
Having the quota increases given in their entirety to Inuit organizations shows the federal government is following through on its word, said Ward.
"Nunavut historically has had a very poor share of the fish resources in its own adjacent waters," he said.
Currently, 74 per cent of all the turbot fished in the territory's adjacent waters goes to Nunavut allocation holders, he said. For the shrimp fishery in those areas this number is closer to 36 per cent.
"The industry in Nunavut would like to be treated the same as its neighbours to the south," said Ward.
"We'd like to get to the point where at least 80 per cent of all the fish resources in Nunavut's adjacent waters go to Nunavut stakeholders."
The Nunavut Offshore Allocation Holders Association (NOAHA) is lobbying for increased quotas.
"0A has always gone to Nunavut, but 0B, which is the southern part, up until recently most of that was with southern license holders," said the organization's executive director Brian Burke. "Since we've started developing and buying vessels and making the investments it really strengthens our case. We do have the resources and we do have the vessels to be able to fish the quotas and any increases."
Quota increases are based on data gathered by the NAFO's scientific council to determine sustainable harvest levels of a species.
"Northern turbot stock has been doing quite well. The surveys have been either stable or increasing," he said.
The next step will be to divide the quota among the different companies, said Burke.
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk praised the quota increase as a step in the right direction.
"Fishers in other Canadian jurisdictions have access to the majority of quota for species in their adjacent waters. NTI has asked for the same consideration to be given to Nunavut Inuit, in accordance with the economic and harvesting rights embedded in the Nunavut Agreement," she stated in a Jan. 31 release.
