From subsistence to commercial fishing in Northern Canada

Abstract

If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to show that, until the 1960s, subsistence hunting, fishing, and gathering were the mainstay of the economy for Inuit in the Eastern Canadian Arctic. This economy was sustained by the moral imperative that food should be shared with others whenever possible. The article explores the experience of one man in Nunavik (Northern Québec) who has started a business selling food. Design/methodology/approach -The paper shows that regulatory challenges facing the industry are considered in relation to the moral dilemmas that need to be confronted in moving from an economy based on sharing food to an economy predicated on market exchange. Practical implications -The paper concludes with a discussion about how this businessman has come to terms with his breaking of social norms about the sharing of food and his understanding of how, in doing so, he is representative of a new economic order amongst Inuit in Nunavik. Originality/value -The paper shows that this is an original and novel subject for study.

Food security in Igloolik, Nunavut: an exploratory study

“…This compares to previous research documenting a reluctance to exchange traditional foods directly for money in Igloolik and other Inuit communities (Ford and others 2006;Gombay 2007). It is noteworthy that hunting is to a large extent a male activity, with a strong correlation between hunting activity and sex.…”

The role of subsistence fishing in the hybrid economy of an indigenous community

“…Results of the two sample t-tests comparing results between the two islands are reported at the bottom of the public sector, mainly in the form of CDEP. As already reported in other studies on mixed economies of indigenous communities [26], extensive overlaps among the various sectors were detected. Strong and complex interactions were detected between the subsistence sector, in the form of reef fishing in Torres Strait, and the other two sectors.…”

“…Livelihood diversification is a strategy commonly observed in fishing communities to effectively reduce vulnerability [24]. Diversification includes occupational pluralism with a diversified formal market sector existing along with a subsistence sector [25,26] and dependency from relatives and government [27]. Very often, however, fishing is still the main direct and indirect contributor to the local economy of these communities, as it provides food, income and employment [19,28].…”

Travelling and hunting in a changing Arctic: assessing Inuit vulnerability to sea ice change in Igloolik, Nunavut

“…Ringed seal and walrus are particularly important sources of food in Igloolik, with the sea ice being essential habitat for these animals, as well as providing an important platform from which they are harvested. It is noteworthy that Inuit hunting is largely subsistence-based in the Canadian Arctic, with many Inuit reluctant to sell traditional foods for money (Gombay 2007). The sea ice is also important for transportation: Igloolik is located on a small island and the frozen ocean surface provides a link to caribou hunting grounds and fishing lakes on the mainland (Melville Peninsula) and Baffin Island.…”