Ottawa increases Nunavut’s adjacent shrimp quota

Nunavut’s shrimp fishery will see a bump of over 1,000 tons to its quota in 2016-2017. (FILE PHOTO)

Nunavut shrimp fishers will see a bump of over 1,000 tons to its quota in 2016-2017.

Nunavut’s Environment minister Joe Savikataaq announced the 1,084-tonne increase to allocation for Pandalus Borealis, the northern shrimp species found in the Davis Strait region.

The federal department of Fisheries and Oceans updated the total allowable catch in September, just a few months after Ottawa scrapped a former quota system that favoured older, established fishing companies over newer, Nunavut-based ones.

“This increase in Nunavut’s shrimp fishing allocations is reflective of the Government of Nunavut’s longstanding position that 100 per cent of any fisheries quota increase in adjacent waters must go to Nunavut, until we reach an equitable share of our adjacent resources,” Savikataaq told the legislature Oct. 31.

“This allocation increase will help to strengthen our industry’s presence in Canada’s commercial fishing sector, and it represents an important step towards establishing Nunavut as a major player in commercial fisheries.”

The increase represents a 15 per cent jump in Nunavut, where the overall shrimp quota went from 8,250 tonnes to 9,488 tonnes. The increase is specific to the Eastern Assessment Zone of the Davis Strait West management unit.

The Nunavik region was allocated 120 tonnes of northern shrimp in the same unit.

Savikataaq said the new quota will bump Nunavut’s fishery value up $5 million, to $43.5 million.

In 2013-14, the total market value of Nunavut’s fisheries, including shrimp, was worth about $86 million and employed about 370 seasonal workers.

Under the federal government’s older system, Nunavut companies could only fish a third of northern shrimp stocks in the region, while the rest of the quote went to southern-based companies.

But northern and Inuit groups criticized the policy as unsustainable and out of sync with the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement.

Article 15 of the NLCA says Ottawa should “give special consideration” to principles of adjacency and economic dependence when allocating commercial fishing licenses.”

“As such, we will continue to remain actively involved in discussions on shrimp management and will continue our lobbying efforts to ensure that Nunavut receives an equitable share and maximum benefits from this fishery,” Savikataaq said Oct. 31.