The snow crab biomass follows a cycle in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Once in a while, ministers are faced with tough decisions. I said "ministers", because this matter does not only concern the current minister. Other ministers preceded him, and they all faced the same question: there had to be a reduction, but how big would it be, how many snow crabs could be caught in one year?
In the past, sometimes a minister's decision was different—it was higher—from what the government would have wanted, from what the Department of Fisheries and Oceans would have wanted, and that would have been his choice. This is usually what happens when this kind of decision has to be taken. Indeed, fishermen, scientists, ministers and departments don't always share the same opinion, and the minister must make a tough call.