HAY RIVER - Hay River fishers are divided over who should be allowed to vote on yet another ballot to decide the organization's affiliation with the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation.

Alex Richardson: president of the NWT Fishermen's Federation says it's time to find out where fishers stand on the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation. - NNSL file photo

NWT Fishermen's Federation have scheduled Dec. 14 for what will be the third vote on the issue.

"This is very important to all of us," said federation president Alex Richardson. "We've got to find out where we all stand."

However, agreeing who should be allowed to guide the federation's position is proving to be a contentious issue.

At it's annual general meeting on Nov. 9 some members of the federation argued five non-resident fishers should not be allowed to vote.

"These guys are planning to come back, so why shouldn't they have a vote?" Richardson said.

There was some disagreement with that stance.

"That's temporary fishermen voting on people's lives that are here," said fisher Shawn Buckley, adding that just doesn't seem right to him.

Membership voted 7-2 to allow about 35 certificate holders on Great Slave Lake from this past summer to cast ballots on Dec. 14, including the non-residents.

Three fishers with commercial licences on Kakisa Lake will also vote.

In February, certificate-holders – owners and operators of fishing vessels on Great Slave Lake – officially voted to quit the federal marketing body and the GNWT began a process to make that happen.

However, at an Aug. 27 meeting, 14 certificate-holders unanimously agreed to stay with the marketing corporation, although that was an unofficial vote. The federation then wrote Industry, Tourism and Investment Minister Bob McLeod to ask the territorial government to stop any moves toward arranging for the NWT to leave the corporation.

McLeod requested the third vote to clarify the issue.

Hay River North MLA Paul Delorey encouraged the fishers to turn out for the upcoming vote.

"I think it would be a lot easier for the minister to act on a really good representation than just a bare majority of a quorum," Delorey said.

The marketing corporation has been controversial among NWT commercial fishers for many years.

Fish exported out of the NWT must go through the corporation, which purchases fish, sells it and pays fishers. However, fishers have often been unhappy with the prices the corporation has been able to get for their product.

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