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Commercial fishers managing their own catch in Kakisa New fish processing plant being builtRoxanna Thompson Northern News Services Published Thursday, July 19, 2012 A group of commercial fishers is working together to build a small fish processing plant, complete with room to store ice and a second room with tables where fish can be filleted and vacuum packed, said Chief Lloyd Chicot of the Ka'a'gee Tu First Nation.
Commercial fishing has been part of the community since the 1970s, said Chicot. Approximately three to four men are currently fishing commercially every summer on Kakisa Lake.
No one to sell to
In the past, commercial fishers also worked on nearby Tathlina Lake in the winter. This has become difficult in the past few years because the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation in Hay River no longer buys fish regularly in the winter so there was no one to sell to, he said.
The processing plant is designed to address this and other issues. The goal is to stretch the fishery throughout the year so fishers have a steady income, said Chicot. Currently the bulk of the fishing takes places in two to three weeks in June.
Extending the season into the winter would allow fishing at Tathlina Lake, where catches can be transported by snowmobile as opposed to using a plane in the spring or summer, he said.
The plant will also provide a place to get ice to keep catches fresh and to process the fish for sale. Fish fillets sell better than whole, cleaned fish, said Chicot. Most people like to take their fish straight out of the vacuum pack and put it in the frying pan, he said.
Each fisher will be responsible for their own catch and then will be able to sell it as they like. Some of the fishers already have lists of clients that they sell to, said Chicot.
The plant will allow the fishers to be involved in all the stages of their business and make money for themselves as opposed to having a third party sell the fish, he said.
A feasibility study was conducted before the band applied for a grant from the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment to build the plant.
The study found there is a market for fish from Kakisa in both Yellowknife and other communities, Chicot said. The band received approximately $32,000 from the department under the promotion and support of commercial harvesting, processing and marketing of fish and meat program.
As of July 10, the gravel site had been prepared for the plant and a concrete pad was expected to be laid shortly. The building will be constructed using local labour. Chicot said the plant is expected to open at the end of August at the latest.
The fishers will manage the plant collectively.
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