Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I welcome all of my colleagues to western Newfoundland, to Deer Lake in particular. We're celebrating our 60th anniversary of municipal incorporation this week in Deer Lake.
Deer Lake is also a place where, while it's not a port city, fishers and fishing industry stakeholders have met before. It's a central location that allows easy access for people from Labrador, the northeast coast, the west coast, and from all over the province. We're back at a table where we've been before.
Mr. Chair, this is a great opportunity for us to study and be involved in an issue that is of critical importance, not only to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador but to eastern Canada. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans decided to embark on a study of the eastern Canadian snow crab industry because this industry is in a certain amount of turmoil, no doubt about it.
The issues throughout eastern Canada are not identical. In Newfoundland and Labrador, for example, it's not so much based on a resource issue, per se, although there are definitely resource concerns. Economic issues, rationalization and long-term industry stability and viability issues, seem to be the predominant considerations that you may or may not want to bring to the table. In the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence, as we know, the issue is starkly different. They have had a 63% cut in quota, which is impacting their industry extremely negatively. On the eastern side of Nova Scotia there are other management issues.
The committee will be travelling throughout eastern Canada to hear from various industry stakeholders like you, to hear your input on not only specific issues but on specific recommendations for solutions as well. The objective of the committee will be to table a report in the House of Commons based on the testimony that each of you provides us and to synthesize that testimony into specific recommendations to the federal government for action. That's why I think it's exceptionally important for you to be here today, as key industry stakeholders, as opinion leaders, but as people who understand the industry in-depth as well.
It goes without saying that this industry is absolutely vital to the overall well-being of rural Newfoundland and Labrador, but it's important to rural eastern Canada as well.
Some of you have travelled far distances to be here. I appreciate that. I wish that everyone who was invited would have made the effort to be here. I think it would have been extremely valuable if the Association of Seafood Producers had taken the call and responded positively to the opportunity to testify, because this committee will be making recommendations. It will analyze the industry as it exists, as you present it to us, and we will be making specific recommendations to the federal government. We want everyone to be included in that, and that's why we asked all industry stakeholders and representatives to be here to be part of that. Unfortunately, the Association of Seafood Producers declined the invitation to attend and therefore declined the invitation to be part of this process. But our work goes on. We will be making recommendations based on what we hear.
The committee has assembled to hear this testimony because of a motion that I tabled before the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans. I'm delighted that each and every one of you has taken the opportunity to be part of it, and I'm delighted that my colleagues have chosen to come here.
With that, Mr. Chair, I think it's time to hear the testimony from the witnesses.