In Disko Bay, Uummannaq and Upernavik as well as in the so-called administrative area 47, holders of individual tradable halibut quotas must fish 75 percent of their quota according to the current inatsisart fishing permit.
If this does not happen, the fishermen risk getting fewer quotas from the department from next year.
In Disko Bay, Uummannaq and Upernavik as well as in the so-called administrative area 47, holders of individual tradable halibut quotas must fish 75 percent of their quota according to the current inatsisart fishing permit.
If this does not happen, the fishermen risk getting fewer quotas from the department from next year.
Although many fishermen are worried, member of Inatsisartut’s Committee for Fisheries, Catching and Agriculture, Kristian Jeremiassen (IA), tells Sermitsiaq that the coalition party does not want to change the law.
– We maintain the 75 percent. We believe that it must be maintained, says Kristian Jeremiassen.
The Fisheries Act applies. If there are no changes, quota holders who have not fished 75 percent of their quota will have the value of their quota deducted from next year. Sermitsiaq has learned that only 50 out of 694 quota holders in administrative area 47 have met the requirement so far this year.
Conflicting statements
After defending the law which means that fishermen can get smaller quotas if they do not meet the requirement to catch 75 percent of their IOK, the member from Inuit Ataqatigiit contradicts himself in the same interview.
– We don’t want to take anything from the fishermen (halifish quotas, ed.), says Kristian Jeremiassen.
It can thus be understood as a contradictory statement. He maintains the 75 percent that is written in the law, while at the same time saying that they will not take quotas from the fishermen. But seen in the light of the actual catches today and the applicable legislation, this statement is not fully comprehensive.
You maintain that the law must not be changed, but at the same time want to enter into a compromise. So what will you compromise on?
– Maybe it can be lowered a little so that the halibut fishermen can also continue without being hit, says Kristian Jeremiassen.
He would not answer how much Inuit Ataqatigiit can lower the percentage of the utilization obligation.
Changing my mind again
Sermitsiaq’s journalist again inquired about the politician’s contradictory statements. Here the member from Inuit Ataqatigiit returned to his original position, which was the second change of position in the same interview.
How will the Inuit Ataqatigiit react if a five-year suspension is introduced?
– No, it must be valid. And those fishing quotas must also be fished, says Kristian Jeremiassen.
Democracy: We must listen to the organisations
All fishermen’s organizations in Greenland, namely KNAPK, SQAPK and QAK, joined together unusually and last week presented their concerns and wishes to naalakkersuisoq for fisheries, Peter Borg (D). One of the requests in the letter is that the obligation to utilize 75 percent of the quotas be suspended for five years.
The largest party in the coalition, Demokraatit, has the opposite position of the Inuit Ataqatigiit. They want to listen to the fishermen’s organizations’ wishes.
– We believe that the organizations’ request for a temporary suspension is reasonable.
– We must of course listen to the organisations’ messages. They are the ones who use them every day and who have the most knowledge about it. Therefore, we must listen to their messages and work based on them, says Bo Martinsen (D) to Sermitsiaq.
Naalakkersuisoq for fisheries has also expressed to Sermitsiaq last week that he is approaching the organizations’ wishes.
– I now have a clearer picture of the direction the fishermen and their organizations want to go in. In Naalakkersuisut, we have reached the point where we have to find a solution to the issue of the obligation to land 75 percent. Now we have to find out what the concrete solution should be, says Peter Borg.
Bentiaraq Ottosen (A) and Jens Napãtôk’ (N) also support the organizations’ wishes, Sermitsiaq wrote on Tuesday.
