Fisheries committee  Okay.

Fisheries committee  Absolutely. It's a critical part of what they're doing.

Fisheries committee  I have some booklets here if you want to take one.

Fisheries committee  Getting back to what you said about had there been any incidents, I talked to Ron Burton, the chief enforcement officer with DFO in western Newfoundland and Labrador. You will recall in 2008 that the Farley Mowat did go into the Gulf with the sole purpose of trying to disrupt those who were sealing, and as soon as it went less than half a nautical mile from the sealing boats, they could charge it and get it out of there.

Fisheries committee  As I said a few minutes ago, the real issue is the licensed observers. They can go to within 10 metres of a boat, and they're there with their .222s and .223s, they've got powerful boats, they're out on the ice in all kinds of weather, and it's not a place for anyone. So what we're saying is that this bill needs to be expanded, and then it would have a critical impact on what's happening in our sealing industry, because it would keep these people who are 10 metres back, whatever the distance is that we agreed to.

Fisheries committee  Absolutely. We know of instances in which sealing crews have been surrounded and couldn't get to their boats.

Fisheries committee  For one thing, I think the approach they're taking is wrong. It's an approach that is long and drawn out. By the time it's resolved to any measure of satisfaction for either side, the sealing industry will be dead in rural Newfoundland and Labrador. If we don't soon start getting some of these seals landed—the 400,000 quota—and keep the herd to a sustainable level, which most people agree is in the five million to 5.5 million range—which means we have at least 2.5 million to three million too many out there.....

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, my name is Frank Pinhorn. I'm the executive director of the Canadian Sealers Association in Newfoundland and Labrador. The CSA was formed in 1981 as an advocacy group representing the interests of all of our sealers.