Fisheries committee  Sure. I can say that, in chats with enforcement and Tim Kerr himself, I made known some issues in reporting. There's a 1-800 number you can call, which is another incident that I didn't even tell you about. You start at your local detachment, and nobody answers, so you phone the 1-800 number, and it rings and rings, and nobody answers.

Fisheries committee  Yes, I believe that, for those folks who are employed in this industry, as Zach can attest to, employment insurance has run out at this point. There's nothing to fall back on. They are looking to get new jobs. Some of my employees have scrambled and have found some—certainly not replacement employment, but something to allow them to feed their families.

Fisheries committee  I would just like to highlight to you that our original traceability system was developed by the industry. I sat at the table and developed that logbook in triplicate, so you can't just print a new piece of paper. Therefore, it only makes sense that I got to sit at the table to develop the digital system.

Fisheries committee  It would start where our paper system is leaving off, which is tracking each river, the estimated quota leaving each river, and then final tallies at our facilities once you've done a final weight. However, this would be put into real time, likely digitally through an app with time-stamps and specific to each individual harvester versus a team filling out a logbook.

Fisheries committee  Well, I certainly don't disagree with CBSA's answer that regulations will make it easier for them to do their job. I will point out that those regulations are currently not in place, and not having legal fishers on the river doesn't change that. They still have to find a way to do their job in the next few months, because eels will move through their airport without this fishery happening.

Fisheries committee  I can only speak to my personal experience on that. I can tell you that I personally have phoned the RCMP for assistance on the river when I've been threatened. I have been told that they don't respond to elver calls. Nobody has shown up. At that point, the response for me, for safety in my workplace, is that I have to leave.

Fisheries committee  I would start by advising her to speak with the industry. We know this industry better than anyone. I grew up in it. My dad started our company when I was 11. This has been what I've done my whole life. We pioneered this industry and built it from the ground up. Obviously, it's coming to a change.

Fisheries committee  That's correct.

Fisheries committee  I do think there's still time to open this season. We know that this problem won't be solved overnight. We know that there must be multiple incremental steps taken to get to the finish line, where we need to be. As far as safety on the river is concerned, I can tell you that any incidents requiring police assistance or reports of altercations were not between licensed and unlicensed fishers.

Fisheries committee  It did not. Each time a shutdown has happened, legal fishers have been removed from the rivers. Unlicensed and unregulated fishing has continued for months afterwards.

Fisheries committee  Certainly, we've been asking for a traceability system in this industry for well over 10 years. Each year we've been told, “Well, next year we'll get that sorted out.” This past year, it became obvious that nothing would be coming in the next year unless we took matters into our own hands, so I personally sourced two companies that were available and ready to implement a traceability system for this season.

Fisheries committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'm grateful for the opportunity to inform this committee on the status of the Canadian elver industry and the management—or mismanagement, I should say—that has caused it to spiral into the troubled industry you see today. I'm here representing the Canadian Committee for a Sustainable Eel Fishery, which represents the majority of the commercial industry.