Thanks, Mr. Chair.
I have two questions for the department representatives. I'll just mention both of them, and then you can spend the rest of the time responding to those.
You mentioned the precautionary principle in your remarks. I'm wondering what year the department first employed the precautionary principle in the management of snow crab. That is the first question.
Secondly, I'm wondering, if the department could foresee, even as much as a few years ago, that we were heading into the bottom of the cycle, meaning the snow crab biomass would be low, why then you didn't act sooner--even last year, say, or sooner than that--to recommend a drop in the quota. It's my understanding that last year's TAC in, for instance, areas 23 and 24 was higher than the scientifically recommended allotment. I can be corrected if that's not the case.
In other words, why leave it to this year to announce such a huge drop in the TAC?