Free to fish : how a freshwater fish monopoly is impoverishing Aboriginal fishers

Summary: First Nations and Métis make up the majority of commercial fishers who are under the jurisdiction of the Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation (FFMC), which holds a monopoly in Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and parts of northwestern Ontario. The FFMC is in trouble, as Saskatchewan and northwestern Ontario withdrew from its mandate and the NWT is considering a similar move. Moreover, Aboriginal communities in northern areas are mobilized in opposition to the FFMC. Aboriginal fishers are finding they can make much more money using their own export markets rather than selling through the FFMC. To maximize market opportunities, the FFMC should slowly become a private company, and all fishers should be free to sell and market as they see fit.