Local Baffin HTOs sign shrimp fishing deal

SEAN McKIBBON
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — A group of local hunters’ and trappers’ associations have signed a shrimp fishing deal that could bring them almost a quarter of a million dollars.

Pooling together shrimp quotas given to them by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for an exploratory shrimp fishery, the groups were able to negotiate a price of $500 per tonne, or 12 and a half per cent f the revenues from the processed shrimp— whichever is higher.

The deal was signed between quota holders Mitimatilik of Pond Inlet, KTJ Holdings of Kimirut, Russell Chislett of Iqaluit, and Quliruaq Inc., the business arm of Iqaluit’s Amarok Hunters and Trappers Association and a trawler company called Farocan.

Farocan is the company that owns the Kinguk trawler and partners with Qikiqtaaluk Corp. to fish in the Davis Strait.

Collectively the groups have 475 metric tonnes of shrimp quota.

“I think it is imperative Inuit organizations and businesses work together to get the best possible deal,” said Mickey Akavak, Kimmirut’s mayor and one of the negotiators.

Last year Amarok Hunters and Trappers received only $300 per tonne for their quota, said Situkie Joamie, secretary manager of Amarok.

There are 17 organizations with licenses to fish in the Davis straight, but all of the shrimp fishing goes on south of 63 degrees latitude. This year DFO announced an exploratory shrimp fishery north of 63 degrees and allotting quotas to local in-shore fish quota holders.

“The trawler owner always has the advantage when dealing on a one -on-one basis with the individual quota holders, ” said Joamie. He said that by banding together the pool partners were able to command a better price.

The group was also able to get training for four people on the trawler in an effort to start up a labor base for trawlers in Nunavut.

“We won’t be able to make the real money until we have a trawler of our own here in Nunavut,” Joamie said. He said his goal is to one day have a domestic fishing industry in Nunavut.