Fishing is Uummannaq’s main occupation. When Nukissiorfiit’s power plant burned down on June 22, all fishing and all production at the town’s three fish factories was halted for about a week.
Both fishermen and fishing companies state that this resulted in significant financial losses.
Fishing is Uummannaq’s main occupation. When Nukissiorfiit’s power plant burned down on June 22, all fishing and all production at the town’s three fish factories was halted for about a week.
Both fishermen and fishing companies state that this resulted in significant financial losses.
In order to avoid a similar situation occurring again, work should be initiated to prepare a contingency strategy. This is the opinion of the chairman of the fishermen and trappers’ association in Uummannaq and the chairman of the Fisheries and Fishing Committee in Avannaata Municipality, Ole Møller (Naleraq), as well as the chairman of the municipal council’s technical committee, Sakio Fleischer (Siumut).
Loss of many tons of fish
Royal Greenland, Avannaa Seafood ApS and Sigguk Uummannaq ApS operate fish factories in Uummannaq and help ensure a stable market for the fishery.
When the power plant burned down on June 22, fishing in the town stopped immediately. It hit Sigguk Uummannaq ApS, among others, hard, says office worker Jakobine Markussen.
From 22 June to 2 July, procurement at the company was suspended.
– On the day the power plant burned down, we had to send two vessels back. They had a total of around 15 tonnes of fish, which had to be landed at fish factories in the villages instead, she says.
When the weather is good, some days up to 20 tonnes of fish are procured, the company states.
Large financial losses
The fact that the procurement stood still for several days has meant large financial losses for many fishermen, says Ole Møller.
He says that he himself has not fished for about a week, because the distance from Uummannaq to the settlements made it unprofitable to purchase the catch there.
– According to my calculations, I have lost around DKK 20,000 on the days I didn’t fish. But other dinghy fishermen, who catch more than me, have had even greater losses, he says.
As a result of the temporary closure of trading in Uummannaq, some vessels chose to sail further south to fish, including to Disko Bay, Ole Møller says.
A necessary contingency strategy
If you want to avoid a new fishing stop as a result of a similar incident, it is necessary to prepare a contingency strategy, believes Ole Møller.
– When fishing stopped, the municipality also missed out on tax revenue.
– The stoppage of the fishery did not only affect the fishermen and the fish factories, but has undoubtedly also had major consequences for other business operators in Uummannaq, for example restaurants and shops.
– Therefore, it will be natural for all affected parties to sit down and prepare a contingency strategy based on the experience we have gained, he says.
He also believes that the incident should be evaluated and that the matter should be dealt with in the municipal council as part of the work on a future emergency plan.
Sakio Fleischer states that Avannaata Kommunia is currently working on establishing a contingency committee.
– When the committee is in place, it will be natural that a contingency strategy is also drawn up, he says.
Limited impact on the settlements
Royal Greenland operates fish factories in Ikerasak, Ukkusissat and Saattut near Uummannaq.
According to the company, the procurement and production of halibut in these settlements was not significantly affected by the fire at the power plant in Uummannaq, even though the fish factories in the town had to stop production.
Royal Greenland states that the company had a plan to avoid the worst consequences. Therefore, the fish from the fish factory in Uummannaq were transported to the settlements’ freezing facilities to avoid them being discarded. In addition, the fishermen were given the opportunity to procure for the company’s other installations in the settlements.
The procurement and production of fish in Uummannaq is now taking place again as normal.
