Joint Statement on the Development of Fisheries Regulations for the Nunavut Settlement Area

July 9, 2018

The Nunavut Agreement created a co-management system with defined and complementary roles for the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board, Regional Wildlife Organizations, and Hunters and Trappers Organizations - while recognizing Inuit harvesting rights, including fishing rights.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Nunavut Agreement and in recognition of significant progress in recent months to develop the policies to support the future regulation of fisheries in the Nunavut Settlement Area under the Fisheries Act, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, the Government of Nunavut, and the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board state that they will:

• Work collaboratively to co-develop the policies that will form the basis of regulations to govern fisheries in the Nunavut Settlement Area (NSA);

• Co-develop policies for the management of NSA fisheries that are consistent with the relevant wildlife management provisions of the Nunavut Agreement;

• Co-develop policies that recognize and respect the rights of Inuit, and the roles of Hunters and Trappers Organizations and Regional Wildlife Organizations, as set out in the Nunavut Agreement;
• Continue to recognize and respect the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board as the main instrument of wildlife management in the NSA and the main regulator of access to wildlife, having the primary responsibility in relation thereto in the manner described in the Nunavut Agreement;
• Continue to recognize and respect the role of the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans in the management of fisheries;
• Co-develop policies that emphasize the importance of conserving and protecting aquatic species and associated ecosystems, and that respect the principles of conservation as set out in the Nunavut Agreement;
• Co-develop policies that respect and consider the principles and concepts of Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit;
• Co-develop policies that ensure fisheries are managed to support the economic well-being of Inuit and the Nunavut economy in general;

• Consult and collaborate with Makivik Corporation and the Nunavik Marine Region Wildlife Board to co-develop the policies that will apply to the NSA Areas of Equal Use and Occupancy;
• Consult and cooperate with Inuit, other Nunavummiut, and any other Indigenous groups that harvest inside the NSA with respect to proposed policies that will form the basis of regulations to govern fisheries in the NSA;
• Recognizing that the Governor in Council is the regulation-making authority, co-develop the drafting of the new regulations to the fullest extent possible; and,