The fishery resources of Nouveau-Québec have been used for centuries by the Amerindians (Indians and Inuit) through subsistence and domestic fishing activities, for which no reliable statistics are available but which did not significantly exploit the potential yield of any species. Over the last twenty years, commercial and sport fisheries have overexploited certains areas, specially along the shores of Ungava bay, but the total potential yield of northern Québec remains virtually untouched. The James bay Convention (1975) negociated by the Indians, the Inuit and the governments of Québec and Canada raises hopes for a rational management of this precarious resource, from which the amerindian population looks forward to deriving economical advantages and social benefits.