NUNAVUT WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT BOARD

MINUTES: CONFERENCE CALL No. 33

TUESDAY, 8 JULY 1997

Agenda 

Call to Order

Agenda

Walrus Sport Hunting for 1997

Request to Fish for Shrimp in NSA Waters

Designation of Rights to Fish for Turbot in Division 0A for 1997

Adjournment

1. Call to Order

The Chairperson, Ben Kovic , convened the Conference Call at 11:30 a.m.

2. Agenda

The agenda was accepted as presented.

3. Walrus Sport Hunting for 1997

Dan Pike noted that three requests for walrus sport hunts had been received. Iqloolik and Salluit (Quebec) have each requested authorization to sport-hunt four walrus, while Coral Harbour has requested authorization for eight. Dan recommended that the three sport hunts be approved as requested, according to the hunt plans accompanying each request.

Gordon Koshinsky reminded Members about the Board’s working proposition that sport hunting was not meant to increase the overall number of walrus being harvested in these respective areas. Dan suggested that this has been and is more or less the case, albeit not to the same level of confidence in each area. Three different scenarios are operative. At Igloolik, there is an assignment of walrus by hunters to the sport hunt from their individual four-per-year subsistence allotments; this may result in some increase in the overall harvest because hunters who make assignments might otherwise not have taken their full subsistence allotments. At Coral Harbour, there is a community quota of 60 walrus per year; however since the full quota is not taken for subsistence every year, the sport harvest might be somewhat incremental. At Salluit, the community has agreed not to take more walrus in total than their average overall harvest for the past five years. This (Salluit) situation probably carries the most certainty that sport hunting will not increase the overall harvest. In all three situations the animals are fully utilized and there is no wastage.

Gordon expressed some surprise and disappointment that Salluit had not actually submitted a new updated sport-hunting application for 1997. Ben Kovic questioned if bow hunting would be allowed, as identified in the initial Salluit application. Dan advised that there is no specific regulation to prohibit bow hunting; however the NWMB has the power to disallow it as a non-quota limitation. Malachi suggested that there could be no legitimate reason to disallow bow hunting if it is properly regulated.

The Board approved the following walrus sport hunts for 1997, all still on a pilot basis, and all in accordance with the hunt plans that were submitted:

•  At Igloolik, for up to four walrus. (Resolution 98- 010)

•  At Coral Harbour, for up to eight walrus. (Resolution 98- 011)

•  At Salluit, for up to four walrus. (Resolution 98- 012)

Dan Pike suggested that it is time to formalize the regulation of walrus sport hunting and to change the designation of this “pilot” activity. Malachi Arreak suggested that the Board may eventually wish to cap the number of walrus sport hunts that are permitted. Dan noted that the under the NLCA, once a community quota is established it is up to the HTO to decide the allocations. Malachi suggested that the NWMB will nonetheless be expected to provide guidance. David Aglukark noted that resource-based activities represent the best hope for employment in many of the smaller communities. Ben Kovic did see a need for guidelines to control the pace of walrus sport hunting expansion. Kevin McCormick suggested that a more rigorous regulatory framework would help in the conservation of walrus as well as in defending against the anti-hunting lobby.

The Board directed staff to work with DFO to prepare options for a framework to regulate walrus sport hunting. (Resolution 98- 013)

4. Request to Fish for Shrimp in NSA Waters

Dan Pike reviewed his briefing note with the Board. Three of the 15 companies that participate in the northern shrimp fishery are Inuit-owned. The three Inuit companies have requested permission to fish shrimp inshore (within the NSA) near Resolution Island at the mouth of Frobisher Bay.

Approval to fish in this area last year (1996) was confined to the Inuit-owned companies, in an attempt to provide them some competitive advantage. The Board also established a provisional total allowable harvest (TAH) of 1000 MT in an effort to prevent undue concentration of fishing in this one small region. The DFO Minister unilaterally varied the NWMB’s 1996 TAH decision, by incorporating it as part of the overall northern shrimp quota. In the final analysis sufficient shrimp were encountered outside the 12-mile limit and fishing did not occur inshore at Resolution Island.

Dan recommended the same provisions for 1997 that were adopted by the NWMB for 1996, including a TAH of 1,000 MT specific to the NSA.

Kevin McCormick asked if the DFO Minister had responded to the Board’s complaint regarding his variation of the TAH established last year by the NWMB. Dan advised that the Minister explained that he had attempted to implement what he interpreted to be the central intent of the NWMB decision, but in a manner that would be least disruptive to management of the rest of the fishery. He agreed not to act in such a unilateral fashion again. Gordon Koshinsky noted that Dan’s briefing material tended not to distinguish between benefits for Inuit from Nunavut and Inuit from Northern Quebec. Kevin McCormick suggested that in the long-term it would be appropriate for the Board to allocate primarily for NSA benefits, as is done for example with groundfish.

The Board decided to establish a Total Allowable Harvest of 1,000 MT for striped pink shrimp exclusive to the NSA for 1997, with access restricted to the three Inuit-owned companies. (Resolution 98- 014)

5. Designation of Rights to Fish for Turbot in Division 0A for 1997

Dan reviewed his briefing note with the Board. The turbot quota established by DFO for Division 0B was allocated by the Board in May. There was an exploratory fishery for turbot in Division 0A (to the north of 0B) in 1996; the Nativak HTO had a licence and took 295 MT. This year (1997) an exploratory fishery of 65 days (vessel time) by means of otter trawl (only) has been established by DFO for 0A. The DFO Minister has asked the NWMB to recommend the allocation of the allotted 65 fishing days, as well as to work with DFO Science to develop a plan to obtain the best information possible from this exploratory fishing effort.

Applications from five companies, totaling 90 fishing days, have been received. Dan explained that he made his best effort to use the NWMB’s policy on allocations to prepare his recommendation. Four of the five applicants have formed joint ventures with each other in various combinations, and this has made it very difficult to analyze the situation and develop a recommendation for allocation of fishing effort. In effect, the Board will be allocating dollars rather than fish in this instance. All but one of the applicants (Cumberland Sound Fisheries Ltd.) will be using the same vessels.

Gordon Koshinsky observed that the connections between four of the five applicants rendered the individual terms that they were proposing largely artificial. If the applicants will be using the same vessels they will obviously be pooling their fishing days, crews, expenses, etc., as well as their catches. Gordon suggested that in this situation it might be more reasonable for the Board to simply allocate fishing days to fishing vessels rather than to fishing companies. Joannie Ikkidluak proposed equal allocations among all five applicants; however it was pointed out that this would defeat the meaning of the Board’s active allocation policy and process. Gordon noted that it was not a TAH but rather a non-quota limitation (fishing time) that was being allocated in this instance, and questioned whether the Board was on solid ground in doing so. After much further discussion the Board decided to allocate the available 65 days of exploratory fishing (vessel) time for Division 0A for 1997 as follows: (Resolution 98- 015)

•  Nativak ( Broughton Island ) HTO:      25 days

•  Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet) HTO:             10 days

•  Clyde River HTO:                                  10 days

•  Cumberland Sound Fisheries Ltd.:     10 days

•  Qikiqtaaluk Corporation:                      10 days

6. Adjournment

The Conference Call adjourned at 2:00 p.m.

Minutes Approved by:_____________________________ ________________ 

                                                               Chairperson                                   Date