Makivik in a snit over Nunavut turbot quota

Judging from the tone of a Nov. 18 news release, Makivik Corp. isn’t happy about a recent decision by Gail Shea, the federal fisheries minister, who announced Nunavut fishers will get almost all of a 1,500- tonne increase in the turbot quota in area 0B, off southeast Baffin Island.

Makivik said it “deplores this decision,” because it shows an intent of “not wishing to assist for real in the economic development of Nunavik.”

Ninety per cent of the new quota goes to Nunavut-owned fishing interests, giving Nunavut 41 per cent of the total catch in 0B, while the remaining 10 per cent of the new quota goes to fisheries in Nunavik, giving the region about 4.8 per cent of the total catch in 0B.

In the news release, Makivik president Pita Aatami “expressed his thanks” to Shea for respecting the allocation of turbot quotas, as set out in the Nunavik Inuit Land Claim Agreement.

But then the news release slams the Government of Canada and Prime Minister Stephen Harper for not doing more.

“The Government of Canada and Prime Minister Stephen Harper indicate that they have great plans for the people of the Canadian Arctic, however, their pandering to Nunavut by giving them 90 per cent of the quota obviously restricts the ability of the Inuit of Nunavik to make viable operations for their turbot allocations,” the news release said.

Harper and Shea have ignored the requests of Inuit of Nunavik, Nunatsiavut and Nunavut to have an equal sharing arrangement, Makivik said.

And Ottawa must address this issue of fairness and equality “in a better sharing arrangement for those with adjacency claims to resources.”

But Shea’s Nov. 9 decision reflects exactly what is spelled out in the NILCA, ratified in October of 2006: the offshore deal gave Nunavik 2.54 per cent of turbot quota in the southern Davis Strait, and 10 per cent of any increase or any new quota for other groundfish in that region known as 0B.

The NILCA did provide Inuit in Nunavik fishing rights outside the actual settlement area: commercial fishing rights in the Davis Strait and offshore Labrador.

It also recognizes “the principle of adjacency and economic dependency of communities in Nunavik on marine resources” and promises to give “special consideration to these factors” when handing out commercial fishing licenses within the Hudson Bay.

But it also protects Nunavut’s greater claim to adjacency in waters off Baffin Island.

Section 5.4.7 of the NILCA says “the commercial harvesting benefits provided to Nunavut Inuit by the Government in the Southern and Northern Davis Strait Zones shall exceed the commercial harvesting benefits provided by Government to Nunavik Inuit in those Zones.”