There was a report a number of years ago that DFO commissioned, the ARA consultants' report. It postulated that a sport-caught fish was basically valued based on the spinoff effects of the sport-caught fish, which included every outboard and every set of oarlocks that were sold in British Columbia. Our commercially caught fish were valued on the landed value, the money paid to the fishermen, and that's all. It was comparative. Our fish were only valued at what the fishermen got for the fish.
We think it's unfair to compare apples to apples. The commercially caught fish are worth maybe three to four times that price. There is all kinds of value added before it's shipped to Japan: there's processing; there are repairs; there are industries associated with our fleet; and there are a number of spinoffs.
In the sport fishery, we estimate that about 25% of the people who go sport fishing are from outside the country, and those people create export dollars. Some of the lodges are owned by Americans, and the profits go outside the country too.
For commercial fish, especially our fish in the west coast and the Queen Charlotte Islands, 75% is exported, and it's new money coming into Canada. Compare the fact that 75% of our commercially caught fish is exported, bringing money in, versus 25% for the money the sport sector brings in.
We think the ARA consultants' report did not value our fishery the way it should have been valued.