Fishermen and trappers in a new everyday life: Unstable ice, lack of facilities and unchanged law

When the sea ice fails, work stops.

When there is a lack of production facilities, earnings disappear. And when rules change, it affects access to the profession. That is the reality for fishermen and trappers.

In the series ANIMALS, SEA AND LIFE AG has focused on, among other things, the unstable sea ice in portraits of Utuuniaq Simigaq from Qaanaaq and Olennguaq Kristensen from Savissivik. In addition, the newspaper has highlighted the lack of production facilities in Sermiligaaq.

With the new government, many expected that the Fisheries Act would be changed. However, the message has since been clear: The Act will remain unchanged. This was made clear by the Minister for Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-Sustainability, Peter Borg (D), in the first month of the year.

- How will the Minister for Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-Sustainability explain to voters that the Act that you called problematic before the election is now considered acceptable?

- Politics is about compromises. There are some things that I would like to see adjusted in the Fisheries Act. But now it has come into force and we must also give time to see how it works for fishermen and the business community before we discuss any substantial changes, explains the Minister for Fisheries, Hunting, Agriculture and Self-Sustainability, Peter Borg (D) to the AG in a written response.

This means that the party has changed its position after the election. Criticism of the Fisheries Act before the election has been toned down as part of the coalition negotiations.

Peter Borg states that the Greenland Government expects to present an amendment to the Fisheries Act for the autumn session regarding the establishment of an independent Fisheries Council as agreed in the coalition agreement.

- However, the executive orders also provide good opportunities to make adjustments - and that is precisely what I am looking at, he says.

For example, the Fisheries Department has just sent a revised executive order on licenses and quotas for consultation so that interested parties can make comments. At the same time, work is being done to update the rules on the technical regulation of fishing.

- Furthermore, I expect that an executive order on bycatch and non-commercial fishing will come into force in the coming months, says Peter Borg.

The new normal

Climate change has made sea ice more unstable and delayed its formation, increasing the risk of fishing trips and making traditional fishing methods more dangerous. AG has written, among other things, that this unpredictability is one of the biggest challenges for fishermen in Savissivik. Utuuniaq Simigaq from Qaanaaq also told how families with children are clearly feeling the consequences.

- What will the Greenland Fisheries Authority do specifically to protect fishermen and trappers from these changed conditions?

- It is very difficult to do anything to counter these changes that are gradually becoming a new everyday life. However, we are continuously working together with the industry to adapt regulations, including management plans, in relation to climate change, he says.

- Individual commercial trappers must adapt to climate conditions – just as the Greenland Fisheries Authority is making adjustments to the regulations. In tough periods, it is possible to receive support for lost income due to climatic obstacles under the Reestablishment Support Act, says Greenland Fisheries Authority's Peter Borg.

The Greenland Fisheries Authority emphasizes the need for close dialogue with organizations such as the Fisheries Council and the Fishing Council, in order to adapt to climate change as the "new normal". The dialogue should cover regulatory changes as well as practical adjustments to fishing methods, equipment and seasons to ensure sustainability in the future.

Up to the fishing industry

Regarding the lack of production factories along the coast, Peter Borg replies that it is the fishing industry itself that decides whether to establish procurement points. This assumes that it is economically viable and that there is access to electricity, water and municipal land allocation.

- It is up to the companies and fishing actors to decide where it makes the most sense to have procurement points. Here I would also like to emphasize that the fishermen themselves can establish procurement points if they wish to do so, emphasizes Peter Borg.

- Has naalakkersuisoq conducted an economic assessment of how much extra time, fuel and money fishermen in the outer districts lose by sailing to other towns and settlements to purchase their catch?

- The Greenland Government has not carried out impact calculations, as it is precisely the actors themselves who must assess whether the establishment is profitable, Peter Borg replies.

He also states that the new Fisheries Act allows for local business policy decisions to be made on procurement sites and their development, by assigning responsibility for permits for the establishment of procurement sites to the municipalities.

- A completely new executive order is in the pipeline regarding procurement vessels, transshipment and land facilities, which is expected to be sent for consultation in the coming months, and which will create the framework for regulating the establishment of procurement sites, he says.

For fishermen and catchers along the coast, the challenges have become part of everyday life. Unstable sea ice, a lack of production facilities and the political framework create both risk and economic uncertainty. Naalakkersuisoq for Fisheries, Peter Borg emphasizes that it is the industry itself that must adapt, while regulations and dialogue with local communities and organizations must ensure sustainability and earning opportunities in the future.