No timeline for Hay River fish industry revival
Document from ITI expected within months
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Monday, May 23, 2016
HAY RIVER
The GNWT is getting closer to completing a business plan it has been working on since last year for the commercial fishing industry on Great Slave Lake.
Drew Williams, manager of public affairs with the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), said the plan will be released in the coming months but could not offer an exact timeline. He explained the NWT Opportunities Strategy recommended expanding three essential elements of the fishing industry - the market for fish, the number of fishers and supporting infrastructure.
"The implication being that there was economic opportunity in the lake," he said. "We have fish in the lake. We just don't have fishers."
Williams said ITI under the 17th assembly started taking steps to implement the three directions in the strategy and that work has continued under the 18th assembly.
So far, individuals from Manitoba and Alberta were introduced to the Great Slave Lake fishery in 2013 and a campaign to promote Great Slave Lake fish was launched.
"The Government of the Northwest Territories also committed to developing a business plan," said Williams. "And that work has continued."
The ITI spokesperson said he anticipates a plan may be ready to go to the department's minister - who is also Premier Bob McLeod - next month. He will share the findings with members of the 18th assembly, and based on the feedback and advice he receives, will decide how to move the process forward.
"The work is going forward under the ITI banner, but they've worked alongside the NWT Fishermen's Federation and the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation," said Williams, adding there have been at least a couple of roundtables with commercial fishers and a survey of new and potential entrants to the NWT commercial fishing sector.
The ITI spokesperson said he could not speculate on the possible recommendations of the business plan, but did say it will deal with such issues as governance and infrastructure requirements, such as the fish plant in Hay River.
A number of attempts by News/North to contact Stacy Linington, the president of the NWT Fishermen's Federation, were unsuccessful.
The GNWT has committed $1.5 million to implementing the business plan. In all, the implementation is expected to cost about $5 million, with funding expected to come from a number of other sources.
The GNWT is also paying $400,000 to prepare the plan.
