Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As I indicated, I'll be sharing my time with Mr. Cleary.
Thank you, Mr. Stringer. There's no doubt about the importance of the recreational fishery across the country.
I was interested in the establishment of the ministerial advisory committee on Atlantic salmon in December by the minister. The 2010 study of the economic benefit of the recreational fishery and the Atlantic salmon...where are those figures? A continued deterioration in the stocks throughout Atlantic Canada has been causing, frankly, some considerable concern.
I have to say that I was really disappointed with the decision that was taken last year, I believe a year ago last fall, to shut down—bulldoze, frankly—the Mersey Biodiversity centre, the facility in Liverpool that had been doing such important work on trying to determine what was going on with the Southern Uplands Atlantic salmon, and had been involved in some stocking, not only with Atlantic salmon but with whitefish.
I know the justification at that point was, we're consolidating and we'll do more of that work elsewhere. I'd like to hear your response, given the fact that clearly, the minister has finally recognized there are some serious problems with Atlantic salmon in the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada. Why was the decision taken? Would you not agree that was a decision that will undoubtedly have some impact on the future viability of the Southern Uplands Atlantic salmon?