Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here today, everybody. I appreciate your presentations. I think this is a very important study that we're undertaking, and it's timely, given the information that we're learning from the industry about the migration of shellfish, including lobster and snow crab.
Being the member of Parliament for West Nova, I have the pleasure of representing both the LFA 34 and LFA 35 lobster fishing areas, which are extremely important to the overall fishery of our country. It's a billion-dollar-a-year industry and more, so ensuring we understand what's going on with the migration patterns of lobsters and the health of the stock is extremely important to the people I represent and to the overall economy of Atlantic Canada.
When you look at the spinoffs that happen as a result of the fishery—and the lobster fishery in particular in my area, which has done so well over the last number of years—you see how it impacts communities. The number of people employed in the industry, and how well they're doing, is directly related not only to the catch but also to the expanding world trade markets for our seafood, given its top quality.
I really want to focus on the long-term sustainability of the resource itself. When we talk about data collection and the science, I want to be assured that we're doing enough to understand what's actually going on with the migration pattern of lobsters. I know that we've seen the number of lobsters being caught in my area grow quite a bit over the last 10, 15 or 20 years. The data bears that out.
I'm wondering, Mr. Hardy, if you can explain your thoughts on those increases, and if they're related to the migration patterns northward of lobster stocks because of changing water temperatures.