Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
During our study on the snow crab, when we were in Cape Breton we heard testimony about the area 23 and area 24 crab management plan. I'm going to ask a couple of questions regarding that today.
We heard that once the TAC went to 9,700 tonnes there would be a 50-50 sharing arrangement. On a typical request, we saw that the department recommended that previous ministerial decisions on access be maintained. So why did the 50-50 sharing arrangement not come into play on the previous ministerial decisions on the TAC once it hit 9,700 tonnes? Why did your department change its mind on that, Minister?