NNSL (Aug 27/96) - Work for the 42 employees at Pangnirtung Fisheries will almost double thanks to a new turbot harvesting joint venture.

Cumberland Sound Fisheries Ltd., Pang Fisheries and the Canadian owned M.V. Fame freezer trawler vessel have an agreement to harvest, process and ship 600 metric tonnes of turbot from the Davis Strait.

"We're really happy with what we see here," said Peter Kilabuk, president of Cumberland Sound Fisheries Ltd. "For wages we're looking at over $300,000.

"But from spinoffs for the community, we're projecting about $1.2 million from this project alone."

In the past, the fish plant operated an average of 20 weeks per year. This project will see it operate an additional 16 weeks.

New work may also be created for some residents at the fish plant and at the dock, loading and unloading the fish, Kilabuk said.

About 180,000 kilograms of the turbot will be processed at Pangnirtung and shipped to buyers in the U.S., central and eastern Canada.

The harvest will begin by September. The M.V. Fame is currently on a shrimp expedition and has to re-tool with turbot gear before heading to Pangnirtung.

Fishing will take about two months, while work at the plant will take about 16 weeks. Through the deal, all of the catch profit from the Cumberland Sound Fisheries quota will stay in the North, Kilabuk said.

Of note from the harvest, this is the first time "frozen at sea" turbot will be landed in Nunavut. It is also the first time the quota will be caught by a Canadian-flagged and crewed freezer trawler.

Previously, foreign trawlers were used to catch the turbot and much of the load was processed in the south.

"Over the course of the years, they've (Pang Fisheries) gained enough knowledge and have the resources to take on the task locally," Kilabuk said. "We're really pleased with that."

The turbot quota this year is about triple what Cumberland Sound Fisheries has had in the past, Kilabuk said.

Ottawa allowed for a 1,500-metric-tonne turbot harvest in the Davis Strait. The Nunavut Wildlife Management Board administers the quota.

The fish will be caught about 19 kilometres from shore between Baffin Island and Greenland.

Cumberland Sound Fisheries owns 49 per cent of Pang Fisheries. The NWT Development Corporation owns the other 51 per cent. The M.V. Fame is owned and operated by companies in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

The vessel will also help Makivik Corporation of Northern Quebec harvest its Davis Strait quota.