Good morning, gentlemen. I am very pleased to be here today.
In his presentation and in answer to questions, Mr. Poirier said that fishers in the Magdalen Islands have no reason to be ashamed coming before you today, given their record with respect to the resource. With the FRCC, we have been to all the regions. We are a role model and that is very much to our credit.
As you said, Mr. Blais, over the years, profitability was good, but in 2008, the markets collapsed. A fisher's revenue is calculated on the basis of the resource and market prices. We can control the resource through certain measures, but we cannot control the market. Prices have declined. Last year, we lost more than $1 per pound. Since profit margins were low, that really hurt. As well, expenses are on the rise. If the price goes down and expenses go up, we will be in trouble. That is what happened in 2008.
What will happen in 2009? We do not know. We are just about to put our traps in the water. As a former president once said, we don't know whether it is bankruptcy that we are heading for when we go to sea. We do not know what prices will be like and we do not know what will happen in one month's time.
What can the federal government do? Well, it definitely has a major responsibility with respect to costs. For example, over the years, the cost of a licence went from $35 to $750, just for the lobster fishery. The cost of some other licences is also exorbitant.
In our opinion, in order to help resolve the problems we experienced last year, the licence cost could be lowered. A moratorium could be declared, which would help the fishers. We have never asked for direct subsidies from either the provincial or federal government. This year, we are asking them to help us out, either in the form of temporary relief or a moratorium, so that the market recover.
A global crisis is underway, and the fishing industry is not the only one to be in trouble. We see that on television. Consider the case of the auto industry, which is asking for billions of dollars. That is not what we are asking for. We want some assistance to help us through the crisis. The resource is there, and when the market recovers, we will be able to carry on as we did previously, without bothering anyone.
Let us move on now to the cost of licences and vessel insurance. Previously, the federal government had a free program. Could there be some relief provided there? The cost of bait is very high. We have to pay for bait, staff and fuel. Those are significant expenses. It is in that area that we are asking for some help. The federal and provincial governments must do their share. For their part, fishers have to adjust their expenses, but they can only do so much of that, given that they have to continue to operate.
Thank you.