That's what I assumed you would have. I agree with the science, the value of the large female lobster in protecting this valuable resource on the east coast and growing it. There was a move by some fishermen in the area to undo the measure of returning the large females to the water, which I totally oppose. The evidence you're giving supports leaving them there.
I'd like anything that you, Mr. Hardy, or the department would have on normal lobster movement, because it's not like a pelagic species that swims all over the place. My understanding is that, when the juvenile settles to the bottom, it will stay within a particular area. Anything you would have on that would be appreciated.
I don't know if you could speak to this, but there is an item that concerns me. If the carapace is too large, what impact might that have on our processing industry, which supports a lot of coastal communities, and what would be the impact of sending a similar product into a market, moving a very large lobster into a live market? The market in Nova Scotia is primarily a live market. If all the gulf region or Atlantic Canada moved into that particular category, I suspect it would have an impact on the market.
If the department has any information on that issue, I would like you to submit it to the committee, or you may speak on it. We send a lot of lobster to the marketplace. I do agree with raising the carapace size to grow the stock. In fact, all the data will prove that it is the way to go, but my issue would be with the glass ceiling that we may hit that would disrupt the equilibrium between the processing side and the live side.
Who can speak to that?