Last November, in meetings in St. John's, when the request came from DFO as to what we thought the TAC should be for 2006, as a company, we suggested 400,000 animals. We felt the marketplace could stand 400,000 animals--not for a long period of time, but at least for a year or two. We would then reassess at the end of a year or two as to whether to continue with 400,000 animals.
I think the majority of sealers recommended a smaller number, again, because of supply and demand. If we keep everybody hungry, then certainly the expectation is that the prices will be higher. As a company, we thought that markets could stand 400,000 animals for a year or two.
If you listen to scientists, I think even the 300,000 is above what they would consider a sustainable yield, in that we would, over time, start to deplete the seal herd. I'm not a scientist; I have my own opinions on that. It hasn't been obvious for the last few years, anyhow. We've been taking numbers that are above what scientists say we can take, yet the population still seems to be increasing. You have to depend on the scientists to come up with a number that's appropriate. It's not to our advantage to deplete the seal herd down to a level where we can't harvest.
We're in business, and we want to stay in business for many, many years. I started back in the late 1970s, when the population was estimated to be two million. Boats would spend days and days trying to get their TAC. Now it happens in a few hours. That's a good thing.