Thorunn Howatt
Northern News Services

Broughton Island (Sept 03/01) - Bravely descending into the depths of the Atlantic could bring tough-as-nails clam divers as much as $100,000 a year.

"Never have I been so proud as I have been of this group of men," said Michael Turner, a diving instructor from Vancouver who is training nine divers in Qikiqtarjuaq.

The program will allow its graduates to take advantage of the estimated multi-million dollar developing clam industry. The certification is being done by Commercial Diving Group from Vancouver and is within Workers' Compensation Board compliance regulations.

Qikiqtarjuaq hosted a similar program last summer to certify the first four commercial divers in Nunavut. This year's plan was to commercially certify 12 restricted occupational divers and four unrestricted occupational divers.

According to a 1997 clam survey, in just one fjord located adjacent to the hamlet of Qikiqtarjuak, there are about 34,000 tons of Maya and Seripes clams, for a market value of $673 million.

"The tastiest clams I have ever known" sell for $4.50 per pound, said Jim Curry of the deep-water shellfish sold in his Iqaluit meat and fish processing plant, Iqaluit Enterprises.

"The busiest time is when people are passing through Iqaluit for meetings," he said, adding that people who don't have the opportunity to collect clams for themselves buy between 90 and 100 pounds of clams from his store every two weeks.

"It's a new industry," said Curry, who hopes the industry will expand to include canned and shipped clams.

"You have to be careful when you start processing shellfish. There's a whole different set of regulations when it comes to canning," he said.

Curry said the Qikiqtarjuaq divers sell their catch through the Hunters and Trappers Association.