Nunavut fighting for its shrimping licences as quota cuts loom

Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson is standing up for his territory's shrimping industry.

On FridayPatterson called on federal fisheries and oceans minister Dominic LeBlanc to consider Nunavut's position when reviewing changes to the Northern shrimp quotas.

Northern shrimp stocks dropped dramatically in 2014 and 2015, so it's expected the quotas are going to be cut. Under the federal government's "last in first out" (LIFO) policy, Nunavut would bear the brunt of the cuts because the territory's fishing companies are the newest to have been given licences.

Other fishing companies in the Atlantic provinces were operational well before Nunavut was even established in 1999. Therefore, Patterson says, the LIFO policy favours those companies and "discriminates against Nunavut."

• Nova Scotia fish companies fight to keep northern shrimp quota

"That would be a disastrous and unfair scenario to Nunavut, just when our fishery is becoming strong and Nunavut fishing companies now finally own their own vessels," Patterson told CBC.

"The worst scenario for Nunavutis [if]the LIFO policy is followed."

Nunavut's turbot shrimp and Arctic char fishing industry employs nearly 400 people, and earned $86 million in 2013-2014, Patterson told the Senate on Friday.

LIFO policy also under review

The LIFO policy itself is also under review. Earlier this year, former fisheries and oceans minister Hunter Tootoo convened an advisory panel to meet with stakeholders in Nunavut, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador.

• Last In, First Out review sees duelling public campaigns by shrimp harvesters

In a joint submission earlier this month, the Government of Nunavut, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporatedand the Nunavut Wildlife Management Boardsaid the LIFO policy should be abolishedand must not be applied to Shrimp Fishing Areas Zero, One, Two and Three which are adjacent to the Nunavutsettlement area off the coast of Baffin Island.

The organizations also argued the LIFO policy was established in 2003 without adequate consultation with stakeholders in Nunavut, particularly the territory's wildlife management board.

"This approach is also largely inconsistent with the objectives and principles outlined in DFO's Integrated Aboriginal Policy Framework, as well as with both the spirit and terms of the Nunavut Agreement," the submission reads.

"[The Nunavut Land Claims Agreement] clarifies the constitutionally protected treaty rights to ownership and use of lands and resources within the Nunavut Settlement Area and in adjacent areas."

NunavutLand Claims Agreement not being respected

But Nunavut has been on the short end of quota allocation in its adjacent waters, despite stipulations within the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement. Those stipulations require the federal government to give Nunavut special consideration when allocating fishing quotas within Areas One and Two.

While fishing companies in other provinces have often been allocated quotas of 80 to 90 per cent in their adjacent waters, according to Patterson and the joint submission,Nunavut was allocated less than 38 per cent in the areas off its shores.

Patterson said when NTI settled its lawsuit with the federal government for $255 million last year, it exposed shortcomings with respect to ensuring the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was being respected.

He says because the formerly-named department of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development was the only department tasked with making sure the agreement was respected, other departments, like Fisheries and Oceanslikely didn't know they had obligations within the agreement for instance, ensuring Nunavut got a fair share of its fishing quotas.

"All Nunavut asks for is to be treated fairly, and to have the terms of their land claim respected," Patterson told the Senate.