I think there should be more scientific study done on the capelin, because right now my understanding is that there's nothing done offshore. The science people are going to a couple of traditional beaches where a lot of capelin used to land—say Holyrood and Bellevue, somewhere like that—and checking to see what amount of spawn is there. That's pitiful. One of the recommendations that should come from this committee is that there should be more scientific study of capelin to see what the stock is really doing and how it's doing.
I'm not sure myself. I asked myself if the stock of capelin that come to Conception Bay is at a low number compared with places further north, like Bonavista Bay. It seems they have a lot more capelin in other areas to the north, but at St. Mary's Bay, Southern Shore, Conception Bay, it seems like it's been sporadic. You get real good years, and then you get years like this year when it's pretty sparse.
I think we need to take the whole thing into perspective, because we have not only the cod that are dependent on it but also all the seabirds and the whales, and the seabirds on Baccalieu. The last couple of years, the diving birds did quite well. Murres and gannets, the gull and the tickleace—the lady, we call them—they're not doing well. They're not bringing out many chicks because they're only fishing in the top 12 inches of water, and if the capelin aren't up there, they can't get them. I'm out there a lot during the summer and I see what's happening.