It's a very important program. It started in the 1980s. It was the idea of a bunch of fishermen who came to the department and said, “Why can't we cooperate? You can't get more wardens. You can't get more officers. Your resources are continually being cut. Why can't we work at this in a cooperative effort?” Money was found, through my program actually; I was the chief of development at the time.
We went with a bare-bones program. It was not overly bloated. It was simply a vessel that was rigged up for patrolling. Training was given to various people who were hired. They worked with fisheries officers--and I'm giving you the shortened version--to enforce the various regulations. The officers themselves actually did the enforcing. The other people were the eyes. They reported and what not, but they didn't carry firearms, and they didn't rush in with bayonets and batons and everything. They were assistants to the fisheries officers, and they made the job easier. They could spell them off while they were watching for long periods of time and this sort of thing.
What it did, I think--and it's a great credit to the fishermen in the Tignish area, Seacow Pond area, who continue today to support that program through financial contributions--was bring the fishermen and the department closer together. And with their combined efforts, they were able to reduce poaching by a very large degree. I can't say that poaching has disappeared from the shore, but I can say with all confidence that it has been greatly reduced. I think the fishermen in that area deserve full credit for working with the officers.
Mr. MacAulay was wondering whether that type of program would work today. I say that it would work, and I think the department would be able to make the resources go a lot farther if they did work in partnership with the fishermen.