Aboriginal participation in commercial fisheries of the Canadian North: The Inuit experience

For over four millennium the Inuit people have occupied the Arctic utilizing marine resources of the Arctic region for subsistence purposes. In recent decades a number of significant events including the recognition of aboriginal fisheries rights, the negotiation of land claims agreements and the devolution of management authority have triggered radical changes in fisheries management in the northern region. This paper examines the many marine species in the Northern region and identifies, Greenland halibut (Reinharditus hippoglossoides) and Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) as having the greatest economic potential for commercial exploitation. A detailed life history and stock status of these two stocks confirms the long term sustainability of the stock for commercial exploitation. Current management strategies are examined and found to be deficient. Commercial exploitation of the resource is challenged by limited quotas assigned by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, lack of access, nonexistent infrastructure, and lack of trained human resources. A compelling case for increased local access is made based on the United Nations international principles of fisheries allocation namely, historical attachment, socio-economic dependence and adjacency. This work recommends a management development strategy based on attaining direct access through increased licenses, partnership arrangements with southern fishing interests to gain expertise and equity, and a co-management of the marine resources in the Arctic region incorporating traditional ecological knowledge with western science.