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August 25, 2000

Nunavut, Nunavik leaders dump on turbot announcement

Ottawa’s Baffin Bay turbot quota announcement last week has displeased Nunavut and Nunavik organizations.

JANE GEORGE
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — Last week’s announcement that Nunavut will get a larger share of the Baffin Bay turbot fishery pleased the territorial government, but managed to disappoint and frustrate others.

"Finally, the fishing industry will have a real incentive to make investments in equipment and manpower," said an elated Nunavut sustainable development minister, Peter Kilabuk. "It’s very good news."

But Ben Kovic, chair of the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, wasn’t as overjoyed by the announcement.

Kovic said the new turbot quota doesn’t give Nunavummiut a significantly higher share of the turbot catch.

He pointed out the new increase would only raise Nunavut’s quota to around 30 per cent of the total amount of turbot caught off the Baffin coast, and, in his opinion, that isn’t enough.

Kovic is also disappointed with the restrictive terms of this quota. He said the permanent groundfish licenses held by southern fishing interests allow their vessels to go "practically anywhere they want" for fish, while, under the terms of their permit, Nunavut fishermen have to stay within certain zones to complete their catch.

Starting in 2001, Nunavut will receive all the new Canadian share of turbot for the northern Davis Strait recommended by the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, an international conservation and enforcement agency.

For Nunavut, this new allocation will mean at least 2000 more metric tonnes a year of turbot.

In Iqaluit, the federal minister of fisheriers and oceans, Herb Dhaliwal, said the DFO’s decision to give Nunavut this share was based on its "historic participation" in turbot fishing in the area between Baffin Island and Greenland, where Nunavut has had an exploratory fishery since 1996.

Makivik Corp. angry

This statement has angered Makivik Corp., the group representing Nunavik’s interests in the fishery.

Nunavik Inuit have a turbot quota of only 140 metric tonnes, and Makivik’s leaders say the DFO is continuing to slight their historic participation in the northern turbot fishery by giving the bulk of the turbot quota to southern fishers.

"We are pleased for our fellow Inuit in Nunavut," said Makivik’s president Pita Aatami. "But we were fishing in Labrador and the Davis Strait long before others from southern Canada."

In a prepared release, Makivik said "longtime developers are being frozen out of the fishery."

"We’re not opposed to the fact that Nunavut gets the allocation. It’s just that the minister in his statement says he’s going to recognize historic rights, when he’s never recognized those of Inuit in Nunavik," said Makivik fishery spokesperson Neil Greig.

"We, like the Inuit of Nunavut, want an unrestricted Atlantic-wide groundfishing license."

Greig, who’s been involved with Nunavik’s fishing industry since the late 1960s, said Makivik always hoped the DFO would finally recognize Nunavimmiut’s rights to the turbot fishery.

"There’s been no acknowledgement so far," Greig said.

Political decision

Greig attributed Dhaliwal’s decision to sidestep Nunavik to the complicated politics of the hard-pressed fishing industry.

"The fishing industry is very selfish," Greig said. "Unfortunately, it’s a ‘grab-for-resources’ before others get it, and it doesn’t help the sustainable use of the resource."

While turbot is a peaceful deep sea fish, which has both eyes on the left side and spends its days lying on its right on the ocean bottom, this isn’t the first time it has been fought over by the fishing industry.

In 1995, Spanish and Canadian fleets clashed over turbot fishing in what became known as the "Turbot War."

Peter Kilabuk said he could understand the current dissatisfaction in Nunavut and Nunavik over the new turbot quota. He said he expected Nunavut would receive additional allocations of fishing resources as its fishing industry develops.

But Kilabuk was pleased because the increased catch will produce 4.4 million more marketable pounds of turbot than is currently permitted. When Nunavut’s turbot is sold, it will bring more than $16 million revenues to the fishing industry.

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