Posted on 04 June 2009
Ottawa (June 4, 2009) – Existing small harbour development plans need to be implemented to foster the expansion of small-boat, community-based fishing in Nunavut says a report by the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans entitled: Nunavut Marine Fisheries: Quotas and Harbours. The support for harbour development plans, developed in 2005 by a joint DFO-Nunavut working group, is one of eight recommendations made by the committee in their report reflecting over two years of study on Arctic fisheries issues.
The goal of expanding sustainable fisheries in the North should be further pursued not only to take advantage of emerging opportunities and to generate much-needed economic and social benefits, but also as a means to demonstrate Canada’s exercise of sovereignty and jurisdiction,” says Senator Bill Rompkey, Chair of the committee.
To assist the Nunavut fishing industry in not only surviving but also thriving, the committee developed targeted recommendations in their report. The committee calls on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to continue its existing policy off the Southern part of Baffin Island, which prohibits access of 0B turbot to non-Nunavut interests until Nunavut has achieved a level of access to adjacent marine resources comparable to levels of access enjoyed by other coastal jurisdictions in their adjacent fisheries.
Additionally, the committee suggests the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans put in place a policy giving Nunavut stakeholders the right of first refusal to purchase, at a competitive rate, all fishery quotas in Nunavut’s adjacent waters that are transferred or sold.
“The people of Nunavut depend on the sea and its resources,” says Senator Ethel Cochrane, Deputy Chair of the committee. “More needs to be done to help communities develop sustainable commercial fisheries up North.”
The report recommends that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans substantially increase funding for exploratory research in Nunavut’s adjacent waters, by committing to a multi-year, multi-species research program. Furthermore, the report suggests the Department of Fisheries and Oceans assess the impact of all vessel activity on whales and in concert with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, develop protective management measures, such as vessel exclusion zones at certain times of the year.
The committee recognizes the importance of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit, traditional Inuit knowledge, and advocates for future fisheries decision-making to incorporate IQ as an indispensable complement to scientific knowledge.
For more information on the report and a full list of recommendations, please visit the committee website. Additionally, communication products in Inuktitut are available online: www.senate-senat.ca/fopo-e.asp
Ceri Au
Communications Officer
613-944-9145
1-800-267-7362
auc@sen.parl.gc.ca
Danielle Labonté
Committee Clerk
613.949.4379
1-800-267-7362
labond@sen.parl.gc.ca