An agreement on the Arctic surf clam fishery has been reached between 14 First Nations in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador and Clearwater Seafoods Inc.
A news release issued from all three parties on Monday night said all parties benefit from the new 50-year agreement.
“The strength of this agreement is the opportunity it creates for the fourteen First Nations adjacent to the resource to become meaningful participants in the commercial fishery,” states Chief Terrance Paul of Membertou First Nation and co-chair of the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs, in the release.
No one listed on the news release — including Paul, Chief Misel Joe and Christine Penney of Clearwater — was immediately available for an interview Monday night.
Paul’s communications director said he would be available Tuesday morning.
Arctic surf clam is a bright-red, tongue-shaped seafood that’s exported to Asia for sushi and the lucrative export is worth tens of millions of dollars. Revenues topped $100 million in 2017.
The release states the agreement “protects existing jobs in the Arctic Surf Clam fishery while creating meaningful economic, employment and capacity building for the fourteen First Nations that are adjacent to the clam resource.”
The release stated the voluntary agreement will be effective immediately and all benefits to the participating First Nations are retroactive to January 2019.
It said the agreement will provide millions of dollars in benefits to First Nations through annual revenue sharing, training, leadership development as well as procurement of goods and services from Indigenous suppliers.
In September 2018, Fisheries and Oceans Canada said it would look for an Indigenous entity to hold a licence for the 2020 fishery.
Clearwater has had a monopoly for nearly 20 years on the Arctic surf clam fishery.
The federal department tried to give a quarter of the current quota to a First Nations entity in 2018, but cancelled those plans in July without an explanation.