Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, Minister and the rest of the witnesses, for appearing at committee today.
There's a fair amount of discussion about salmon on the west coast. I'm certain we know salmon is a species that's been overused by man in many cases and has suffered from that. My question on salmon is salmon on the east coast and the Salmon Endowment Fund, which we thank you for and which was a big help.
As the minister is well aware, in Nova Scotia the rivers that are flowing westward out of the South Mountain batholith are all suffering, or a majority of them are suffering, from acidification. However, many of the rivers that run into the inner Bay of Fundy are not suffering from acidification; they have a good pH balance. Yet the salmon returns in those rivers are some of the lowest in the province, including the inner Bay of Fundy salmon itself, which is a separate species and is listed under SARA.
We thank you for the money you gave to the Salmon Endowment Fund, but I would expect the inner Bay of Fundy salmon are still being looked at separately by the department. If so, what is the prognosis, and what scientific program have you put in place to enhance that species of fish?