Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you, gentlemen, for appearing. It's a real pleasure to be here with your member of Parliament, Mr. Blais. I think he's trying to kill us with kindness, because we've done a lot of eating—and some seal, which is good.
I don't want to make too much of a statement, but I want to say to you that the reason we're here is that we share your frustration. We recognize that successive federal governments have really failed to advance the cause and have mishandled the situation. That's why you as participants in the seal hunt are so frustrated and wondering where your federal government is.
That's the reason we're here. We're very sincere about the job we're trying to do, but we have to be sure we do it right, because we haven't done it right in the past. That's why we're in the difficulty we're in today. That's what this visit here is about, and to Newfoundland yesterday and to Nova Scotia later today.
I have a couple of quick questions, in the interest of time, because I know my colleagues want to ask some questions.
You would really like to see an increase in the harp seal TAC. One of you said that; I don't know which one of you. Can the marketplace sustain an increase in seals, an increase in the hunt? Is there a market for more seals?