Pangnirtung fish plant chooses turbot over char

The Hunters and Trappers Organization in Pangnirtung, Nunavut, is upset with the local fish plant after it decided not to buy Arctic char in April and May.

Don Cunningham, general manager of Pangnirtung Fisheries Limited, said the decision was a result of a bumper year for the inshore turbot fishery in Cumberland Sound.

"I explained to them we just did not have the manpower to do both," Cunningham said. "I felt the turbot had to take priority because it's 90 per cent of our volume here."

He said the plant is operating six days a week and is barely keeping up with the turbot catch coming in.

Cunningham said the Nunavut government is also providing up to $5,000 incentives for 30 or 40 people to purchase turbot fishing equipment.

"There isn't going to be much char caught anyway," he said. "There are very few fishermen that can go fishing because they are out turbot fishing. Some of them have been catching char to use as bait for turbot."

Noah Mosesie, chair of the HTO, said char fishing in April and May could have netted $20,000 total for about 14 fishermen.

He has written a letter of complaint to Nunavut Tunngavik and to the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board about the decision not to buy char. In the meantime, the HTO hasn't issued any licences for commercial char fishing this spring.