To answer your question, I would say that the average age of fishers in the Magdalen Islands is the same as elsewhere. Right now, our captains are between 45 and 50 years of age, on average. In the Islands, we are different from other areas in that, for the time being—and the words “for the time being” are important—we have a new generation of young fishers coming up behind. When a captain decides to retire, there are people interested in buying his fishing business. It is often an intergenerational transfer between father and son. The young people have been part of the business for some time and want to take it over. There is very strong interest on the part of young people here, and that sets us apart from other areas.
On the other hand, that positive element is fragile. The fact is that young people will be interested only if they are pretty certain they can earn a living at it. Right now, with market prices collapsing, the situation is somewhat worrisome, in terms of the future. As long as young people have the sense that there is a future in the industry, they will stay here, but first the industry has to survive these crises. That is one consideration. Furthermore, studies have shown that young people here are primarily interested in buying a fishing business because they want to be able to work at home, in their community. And, one way of achieving that is to work in the fishing industry. As you said earlier, that industry underpins development in the Magdalen Islands. By buying a fishing business, they immediately buy themselves a job. They are interested in staying in their community, which is extremely positive.
At the Local Development Centre, we decided that we wanted to help young people acquire fishing enterprises. It is said that this generation of young people will be far more indebted than previous ones. So, they need more support. Although it was possible to buy a business for practically nothing in the 1950s and 1960s, it is now clear that things have changed dramatically. The cost of buying a business is fairly high and operating costs are very significant. At the LDC, we have introduced assistance programs. They involve non-repayable contributions and start-up grants for young people who want to buy a fishing firm. We have also set up a system to provide support with business management. We believe that young people buying a fishing business need to learn the basic concepts of managing a business. That is why they have access to what we call consulting cheques. They can use these to secure support by recognized professionals over a three-year period. They can call on their own accounting firm to gain a better understanding of concepts such as financial statements, changes that affect the business, tax measures, and so on. For the time being, the younger generation is still here, and we have our fingers crossed that this will continue to be the case.