Thank you, Mr. Parsons, for taking the time to come and talk to us this afternoon.
I live right next to the Miramichi River. I know it's not the only river with salmon, but it is an important economic driver in our area. You were mentioning $10 million. I think the figure on our river is somewhere closer to $20 million, so it's absolutely very important.
You mentioned that on some of your rivers, or at least one river, there was a mill. I'm not sure if it's still there or not. Interestingly enough, we had quite a few mills on the river that are no longer there, pulp and other mills.
We met with the Miramichi Watershed Management Committee last week in Miramichi. They have been monitoring the river for a long time and looking into the chemicals, everything that would affect the water quality. It has been over 10 years since those mills have been closed, and they were quite surprised that instead of the population... At the time, a lot of people were blaming the activity of those industries on the diminishing population. Since then, the population has decreased substantially.
I'd like your comments on that, whether you think there are other factors, and how much industrial or people's actions on the river has an effect on the population in your area.