Thanks, David.
Mr. Chair, my name is John Werring. I'm with the David Suzuki Foundation. I'm an aquatic habitat specialist. I have a Master of Science degree from the University of British Columbia and I'm a registered professional biologist in the province of British Columbia.
I want to bring out the point that one our goals at the David Suzuki Foundation, and with CAAR in general, is to try to get the Canadian aquaculture industry to transition to a more sustainable and less environmentally destructive method of raising seafood. Closed-system aquaculture is certainly one of those options, and it is probably the best option to pursue.
One of the issues I'd like to raise today is that we've been made aware that the Canadian government is proposing to expand the aquaculture industry in Canada within the next decade, and the way they propose to do that is solely through the use of current open-net pen technology. We are trying to get the government to consider using closed systems to obtain that level of expansion, but anybody who brings this up when they attend a meeting to discuss this new strategy is being told that it is not an option. The new strategy is called the national aquaculture strategic action plan initiative, and it is being promoted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Anybody who questions the use of open-net pen technology and asks that they consider closed systems is being told that it is not an option. We think this is something that the committee needs to be made aware of.
Thank you very much.