February 27, 2017
The Department of Industry Tourism and Investment (ITI) has unveiled a plan to rebuild the commercial fishery on Great Slave Lake.
Surrounded, appropriately, by members of the NWT Fishermen’s Federation (NWTFF), representatives of the Hay River business community and a new generation of NWT fishers, ITI Minister Wally Schumann introduced the strategy in Hay River this morning.
Read Minister Schumann's Commercial Fishery Revitalization Statement to the Legislature
The Minister cautioned that there is not a single or easy fix to the challenges faced by fishermen on Great Slave Lake. “Rebuilding the commercial fishery won’t happen overnight,” he noted “and will require new infrastructure, more producers and a new way of doing business.”
From left: Minister of ITI Wally Schumann, President of NWT Fishermen's Federation Stacy Lenington, MLA for Hay River North RJ Simpson.
The new strategy presumes a joint and coordinated effort from the GNWT, NWTFF and the federal government to put Great Slave Lake Fish on the table in restaurants, institutions and homes throughout the NWT and into the South.
Underscoring their common goal, Fresh Fish from Great Slave Lake cook books were provided to those on hand.
Great Slave Lake, renowned for its size, depth and pristine cold waters, is home to some of the best-testing fresh-fish in the world and a proud community of northern fishers who work tirelessly to harvest this northern delicacy and deliver it from the lake to the dinner plate.
The business case for revitalizing the NWT’s commercial fishing sector was first identified in the NWT Economic Opportunities Strategy. It is a central to the GNWT’s mandate to diversify the NWT economy, create local jobs, and, in doing so, to contribute to greater food security.