Commercial Fishing Training Program Promotes Skill Development, Future Employment

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An intensive eight-month Commercial Fishermen Training Program will begin next week in Hay River.

The program, which will combine classroom learning with hands-on work on Great Slave Lake, is a partnered initiative involving the NWT Fishermen’s Federation, the Department of ITI and the Soaring Eagle Friendship Centre.  It will teach and develop skills designed to position successful participants to find employment in the NWT’s commercial fishing industry.  During the Spring and Fall, trainee’s will work from the Soaring Eagle Friendship Center before open water sessions that will see them working on a commercial fishing vessel.

With the potential to increase production, and many NWT’s fishers set to retire in the next decade, there is an identified need to see new entrants into the NWT’s fishing sector - and to increase the number of fishing boats operating on Great Slave Lake. 

The Department of ITI is developing a strategy for the revitalization of the NWT’s commercial fishery.  It is an investment that The GNWT believes can result in a sustainable industry, a renewed livelihood for fishers, greater community wellness, local food production, and added value to the NWT economy.