Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome. Bonjour. Woliwon
I would like to say that our committee—we've heard this before—is not here to replace other mechanisms to consult. We're here to hear. We're here on the river so that the whole committee can see other interactions. We've had people present to us through video conference, but I felt that it was very important that we come here to listen to everyone who has interactions on the river, including the first nations, of course. I'm hoping to be able to get most of you in.
Mr. Carr, regarding the Atlantic Salmon Federation, you referred briefly to the CAST project. I remember that when it first came up there were major concerns about releasing salmon that had been raised in captivity, even though they were wild salmon. They were captured smolts. I think that's how it works: by raising them for 18 months or 16 months after capture and then releasing them into the wild. There were concerns about their effects in nature, about how they would interact, and about the succeeding generation.
Can you elaborate on that to alleviate fears? What are your thoughts on that?