Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In conclusion, I would say that if I had a message for the Canadian government, it would be this: don't let us down. Mr. Poirier said it at the beginning—we are not doing that badly, even in the Magdalen Islands. We do, after all, have earnings that amou

Fisheries committee  The fishery being what it is, Fisheries and Oceans Canada manages it this way. I have no solution. However, we have to understand that small craft harbours have problems that are not just seasonal. The problems may increase during some periods, but many harbours have problems thr

Fisheries committee  Absolutely.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Blais. Clearly, it is all about safety, wether it is within the harbour or on the approach to it. It must be safe, and for that to be the case there must be water under the keel. The harbours were built many years ago; some are even more than 35 years old. Moreove

Fisheries committee  What did he say?

Fisheries committee  I would like to take this opportunity to tell you that leaving our fishing gear offshore leaves us no guarantees. We chose to be fishermen, but once we get back to port, we want our boats to be safe. We want to be able to go home and rest in peace and tranquility. Our boats are w

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. As Mr. Poirier was saying earlier, there is a siltation problem in practically every one of the harbours in the Magdalen Islands. It is an island, and to get to 20 fathoms of water, you have to go 20 mil

Fisheries committee  Why are breakwaters essential? Because in a number of harbours, the wave action is too strong, given that there is no shelter. Furthermore, you have to stop the siltation, and in order to do so, you have to change the currents so that the sand is deposited elsewhere than the entr

Fisheries committee  As I was saying earlier, our boats measure 45 feet or less, but the Act applies to boats that measure 50 feet or less. One cannot harvest lobsters with a boat longer than 50 feet. The regulation applies to boats measuring 50 feet or less. In the past, we had 300 traps. We have re

Fisheries committee  No. Most boats cannot be longer than that, but not all the boats are 45 feet or less in length. One is 35 feet long or less. Many are 40 feet long or more precisely 39 feet 11 inches. Some are 37 or 38 feet long, up to 45 feet. I would say that the average would be about 40 feet.

Fisheries committee  In my fleet, it has not been requested yet. However, Mr. Vigneau, who is here today, has been told he needs a stability test, and has received a letter to that effect. Perhaps it's because he trawls for groundfish, we don't know if that is the reason. In our fleet, we have not ye

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In answer to the question, I would say that there are 325 lobster fishers in our fleet. Most boats are 45 feet or less, and we engage in various types of fishing. Primarily we do lobster fishing, but we do fish for herring, mackerel and groundfish, and s

Fisheries committee  You asked if we had enlarge our vessels. Vessels are certainly larger in recent years. Like another part of the world, there have been changes. But safety is always an issue. Our vessels may be larger and more powerful, but they are safe. In answer to the question Mr. Blais aske

Fisheries committee  Mr. Blais asked a question and I will answer it. We attended a meeting held by Transport Canada in Rimouski. This was the only meeting where we were told about the regulation, the new policy on fishing boat safety, that the Department wanted to implement. As I said earlier, stabi

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman and committee members. I do not have a written presentation. I will give you an impromptu presentation about how we feel, about how the fishers of the Magdalen Islands are feeling. First of all, I would like to thank the Standing Committee on Fisheries a