I am a mussels farmer and I work from two docks. Therefore, I have two boats: one in Carleton, and the other here in Gaspé. In Carleton, I have a fishing dock but it is a very small spur wharf large enough for only two boats. Right now, there are seven mussels vessels in Carleton. Therefore, there is not enough room for everyone. We have to use the dock that belongs to Transport Canada, that the department wants to divest itself of. There has been no agreement between Fisheries and Oceans Canada and Transport Canada with respect to common usage.
I will give you an example. Three years ago, officials from Fisheries and Oceans Canada brought in some equipment to collect waste water, but were unable to unload on Transport Canada land. No agreement was possible. The equipment, therefore, had to be unloaded elsewhere. Currently, there are two mussels farmers who use the spur wharf, but it is very low. When the tide is high, the boats land on the dock. It has to be completely overhauled. This is what is going on in Carleton.
The situation in the Gaspé is worse because there is no Fisheries and Oceans Canada infrastructure. In the past, the department had one dock which has since been abandoned. It was ultimately divested to Transport Canada. There is no plan to rebuild it. In the Gaspé, mussels farmers like Jacques and I have no role to play. We operate off the Transport Canada dock. There is no service: no fresh water, no electricity, no water ramp, no crane. And yet, each boat has to pay $200 per month to use the dock.