Mr. Chair, the member talked about the recession being responsible for where we are now, but what we have been discussing all evening is a reduction in quota. I would have to say that the economic downturn certainly would not have caused the crab to disappear. However, we have to deal with the disappearance.
He talked about different federal government programs to assist the fishery. Although marketing is primarily a function of the industry, there is marketing assistance through CFIA to market different products.
There is one initiative we have brought forward. I will use the lobster industry as an example. What has happened in the lobster industry is that for the most part the internal competition, I believe, kept prices depressed. It was not a highly organized operation. With assistance from the federal government and some of the provinces, the lobster council is being formed in an effort to have the entire industry work together so it can maximize returns to the fishers and the industry.
This is going to take a tremendous effort on everyone's part because it is not something that has worked very well in the past. It seems that the industry is very much dog eat dog and who can get to the top of the pile first and the fishers are suffering because of that.
History shows that fishers have done fair to good. When markets were good and there was an abundance of fish, fishers made a decent living. Unfortunately, now we are in a situation where the markets are depressed and abundance is down at the same time. It is a double whammy for fishers and it is going to be a very difficult year. That being said, it is still not a reason to ignore science because science is what will take us into the next century.
Something we have done in Newfoundland and Labrador is to allow for a buddy-up system, which would allow enterprises to combine. Over the last number of years we have seen the combining of over 200 enterprises. We have actually removed over 200 licences from the water, so there has been some good news in the fishery.
In my mind, the most significant achievement this government has made to assist the fishery has been to extend the capital gains exemptions to fishers. I would ask the member if he agrees with that.