And those decisions, of course, are informed by science.
The science work is conducted in the fall, in terms of the field work. That is then analyzed and goes to the science RAP, the regional advisory process, where there's a discussion as to what advice would be most appropriate regarding the TAC for the coming year. So the analysis takes place between the fall survey and the RAP. That's done internally, the science. The RAP, as you're aware, is a peer review process involving academics from outside the department and sometimes involving people from other countries, etc., depending on the nature of the decision that has to be taken and the circumstances that are faced. So it's a very open and inclusive process, and indeed the provinces and the fishing industry are included in that process.
That then leads to advice that has to be considered by the fishing industry, which is then discussed at the consultations involving the advisory committees, and that process then leads to a memo to the minister. The memo to the minister is not just four or five pages; there's a lot of documentation affixed to it. That would include the stock status reports and the issues, in that case, of what the precautionary approach means and where the stock is relevant to conservation limits, etc. That advice is then provided to the minister in the briefing of the minister's office as well as the minister, and then a decision is taken and communicated back to the department through the notes of the minister on the memo. Then that would be communicated immediately to the fishing industry, and licences, with the appropriate conditions, would be issued shortly thereafter.