by Marty Brown
Northern News Services

NNSL (DEC 09/96) - Fishing in Davis Strait is so good this year, Pangnirtung Fisheries Ltd. needed more freezer space.

"We had to bring in six sealift containers to hold our catch," said Peter Kilabuk, chairman of the fisheries' processing plant.

In fact, to the end of November, 171,000 kilograms of turbot were caught and frozen. And that translates into 42 jobs that should last at least three months.

By then, Kilabuk says, in-shore winter fishing will have kicked in, giving plant workers another three or four months work.

"The fishing industry will bring about $1.2 million to the community this year," said Kilabuk, who is also the president of Cumberland Sound Fisheries.

The fish will be processed and packaged in Pangnirtung before being sent to market in Boston.

Pang turbot have been shipped to Los Angeles, Europe and practically all over the world, Kilabuk said.

It used to be that fishing quotas were processed down south. Now all the jobs are kept in the North.

And for the first time in the 10-year history of the plant, a Canadian-owned fishing boat, using Canadian crews and flying a Canadian flag, is hauling the fish out of the ice-cold Davis Strait and processing them in the North.

"We're the only company in Davis Strait that's Canadian-owned. We charted a trawler from Newfoundland and it's working out just fine," said Kilabuk.

It's working out so fine that the processing plant was the subject of a television documentary shot last week and to be aired mid-December on CBC North.