116 Jobs at Risk in Aasiaat: A Community Faces Uncertain Future
In Aasiaat, 116 jobs hang in the balance, a potential closure of the local shrimp factory threatening to upend the very fabric of the community.
Recent comments from Peter Borg, the Naalakkersuisut for Fisheries, suggest that a collaborative dialogue between the two major players in the fishing industry—Polar Seafood and Royal Greenland—could pave the way for a viable solution. The shrimp quota, however, has been slashed by a staggering 35 percent over the past few years, leaving both companies with serious operational challenges at their respective factories.
Notably, Borg’s recent statements offered little hope of immediate political intervention or financial support to address the impending crisis.
An Ongoing Struggle
Despite Borg’s encouragement, communication between Royal Greenland and Polar Seafood has yet to yield any fruitful results, according to Bent Salling, who brings a sobering perspective on the situation.
“We have informed the Naalakkersuisut that the companies simply cannot arrive at a solution to preserve the shrimp factory,” Salling shared with Sermitsiaq.
He emphasized, “It is indicative that there is no political solution on the horizon,” a reality he confronts with deep concern for the local workforce.
Exhausting All Options
Salling also detailed the measures his company undertook to adapt and support the factory’s operations. “We have restructured our fleet, converting a ship from a freezer trawler to one capable of producing frozen shrimp, enabling it to supply the Aasiaat facility. We’ve exhausted every avenue available to us to keep the factory running, but sadly, it hasn’t been enough.”
As the closure looms, he urges political leaders to take decisive action. “They must choose whether to intervene or simply look the other way, fully aware of the devastating impact that losing over 100 jobs will have on this community.”
With the stakes this high, the call for dialogue and intervention becomes not just a business matter, but a crucial community issue.