I am from western New Brunswick. There are a lot of potato producers in my riding, but not many crab fishers.
I want to read something into the record here this morning. It highlights a problem.
This was a report done for the provincial government in New Brunswick, and it's en anglais. In it, there is a comment that was made that says a lot about the industry and one of the challenges. This comment is from GTA Fisheries Consultants. I'm not sure if anybody's aware of that, but it says:
For some species, like snow crab, the status of their biomass and the quantity that can be fished from one year to the next (without compromising it) are cyclical in nature. These cycles represent a challenge, because the total allowable catch...can vary by 50% or more, depending on whether it is the upside or the downside of the cycle. When the total allowable catch is rising, there is enormous pressure to make way for more fishers. Conversely, when the cycle is falling, there are often too many fishers and so there is pressure to reduce the number of stakeholders.
I think that's what happens every year in the spring when this is all decided.
I imagine the question is whether there is a better way of setting the TAC year over year, compared to the current system.