Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. (NTI) President Aluki Kotierk today applauded the Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s decision to increase Nunavut’s turbot quota to 100 per cent in the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) 0A Zone and to 90 per cent in the 0B zone. The remaining 10 per cent in 0B will go to Nunavik Inuit in Quebec.

“Fishers in other Canadian jurisdictions have access to the majority of quota for species in their adjacent waters. NTI has asked for the same consideration to be given to Nunavut Inuit, in accordance with the economic and harvesting rights embedded in the Nunavut Agreement,” said Kotierk. “I am very pleased that Minister LeBlanc made the responsible and fair decision to accept the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board’s advice to allocate all of the turbot increase to Nunavut, respecting the adjacency principles.”

Nunavut’s adjacent turbot and shrimp fisheries have an annual landed value of $140 million, and the recent turbot increase has an annual landed value of $8 million. NTI’s work is not done. Although the announcement is a step in the right direction by providing Nunavut’s fisheries with new resources, the Government of Canada must provide Nunavut with a major investment to address our long-standing quest for equitable allocation of our resources. Nunavut must have access to the existing resources previously granted to non-Nunavut fishers.

For further information:

Kerry McCluskey
Director of Communications
Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated
Tel: (867) 975-4914 Toll-free: 1-888-646-0006
Cell: (867) 222-2893

www.tunngavik.com