My thanks to both of you and to the audience for coming and contributing your valuable time.
As somebody from the west, I've been listening intently to the comments about what is the best lobster, whether it's a Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or even a Quebec lobster. I want to suggest that the best lobster, regardless of where it's caught, is the one eaten after skiing at Whistler. I urge everyone to try one of those lobsters.
One of the most terrifying things for a client is to hear his lawyer call his case interesting. I'm listening to your intriguing testimonies and considering the ones we've heard before. As a politician, I hate to tell you this, but this is a very interesting case. I'm talking about the question of supply and demand and marketing. You have different segmented markets—markets for people who live here, markets for tourists, a U.S. market, an Asian market, and a European market. And all your markets have different appetites.
You have different intermediaries who affect your pricing and where your lobsters go. We're hearing that the supply is totally uncontrolled and that right now it's beyond your expectations. This affects your price and your profitability. There are regulations, but it seems to be a highly self-regulated market. Most people we've heard from like that approach, as opposed to having DFO come in. Quality control has been a large part of our testimony today, and it may affect whether people continue to consume lobsters in the future.
What if there was a marketing board based on voluntary participation? You either paid your dues, or you didn't benefit from it. What if this marketing board had some analysts who would help decide where the lobsters would get the best prices, or would recommend that you slack off your supply for reasons of conservation or profitability? How do you think that might work? It seems as if everybody is doing his own thing right now. There's no coherent approach to marketing, and no one fisherman can afford to invest in advertising. What do you think of this idea?
Mr. Thompson.