Regarding the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf, the Maurice Lamontagne Institute is able to collect scientific data. Its work also involves the fisheries sector.
I do think that we have to make use of the expertise of the people who go to sea, on the much more specialized scientific expertise, and on the expertise of the industry and the Institute when it comes to research and development.
With respect to shrimp, we should be receiving a report at the end of October. It will then be forwarded to the peers. After that, we will be able to see how things are going.
Obviously, we have work to do when it comes to the science. We are currently navigating uncharted waters in terms of everything going on in the environment. This is causing a lot of concern in the industry.
We also have to make investments. I think of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as an economic development department. As I said, the fisheries sector provides employment not just to fishers, but also to construction workers. For example, I am thinking of shipyards, the people who build and repair the boats, and so on.
There is an important economic side to fisheries and we have to acknowledge this. It is an economic development sector based on a renewable resource.