I'll offer a quick comment, but I know that Mr. Stringer or Monsieur Morel can probably provide a much higher level of precision.
Was it overly restrictive? I think we all have anecdotal examples of where some of them were very serious for certain individuals or communities, where we may have thought that particular applications in fact left people with a sense that we hadn't found the right balance. I do believe, however.... As to whether we weren't able to authorize some experimental practices, again, I don't have the history. Mr. Stringer, I think, has been with the Department of Fisheries since 1868.