Natsiq Development Corp. plans to concentrate its sales efforts in markets in the Far East, Ell said. It is believed to play an essential role in human brain development and contribute to healthy body maintenance. Samples of the ring seal oil are currently being tested in southern laboratories to determine its precise Omega-3 content. Although construction of a processing plant in the Arctic wouldn't begin until the spring of 2000 at the earliest, a pilot harvesting program is planned to begin this summer, Ell said. Seals harvested in Nunavut and Nunavik will be shipped to Newfoundland for processing until a northern plant is built, Ell said.
Shareholders still have to decide on a location.
Ell said Inuit hunters from across Nunavik and Nunavut can now look forward to higher seal prices. A final agreement is expected to be signed March 31 in Iqaluit as part of Qikiqtaaluk Corp.'s April 1 celebrations. These materials may not be reprinted for commercial publication in print, or any other media, without the permission of the publisher.