To summarize the problem of assessing the health of cod stocks and the gap between scientists and the industry, I would add that the bond of trust is broken. The only way to bring things back into balance and bring the two parties to talk to one another is to try for a genuinely cooperative approach through a partnership program between industry and the scientists. When I say industry, I mean fishers. When scientists assess cod stocks, they often forget about the socio-economic and socio-cultural environment, and do not take into account the impact of their findings on the fishers. In our document, we are also asking for a partnership program when the assessment structure is implemented. We want to be involved in deciding how data is gathered and what criteria are established to assess the health of cod stocks, particularly in the sector under discussion.
Lastly, DFO always takes the precautionary approach, which is extremely difficult for the industry and fishers. The precautionary approach is an extremely significant factor, just like sustainable development and the sustainable envelope and budget put forward by DFO. Scientists who apply the precautionary approach at DFO have given it a definition as “Erring on the side of caution.” However, they are erring so far on the side of caution that it is unnecessarily making life very difficult for fishers. What we do not want is erring too far on the side of caution.
Thank you.