Anyway, let me cut right to the chase.
On the ecosystem piece, I think what you have to remember about seal is this. Seals eat fish and they eat a lot of fish. Every year seals are consuming—and these are statistics from 1970—4,000 dollars' worth of fish every year. Since then, the Atlantic harp seal has grown to a population of 7.4 million animals, and today it eats 15 more times the fish than the entire east coast fishing fleet catches in shrimp, crab, and cod alone. In addition, right now it's estimated the seals are eating about $4.1 billion in Atlantic and northern fish stocks because of the overabundance out there. That's not fish that we're taking; that's fish being consumed by seals.
I think that there are a lot of changes that have to be made, and a lot of that direction has to come from the Government of Canada in supporting the industry, supporting the people who are in there, and ensuring that what is a great, sustainable, economic industry and cultural practice for Canadians is protected against all of this false information. We are not doing enough to protect the industry. Evidence will show that.
Even with the best intentions, if you go back to the last time the standing committee studied the seal in Parliament and recommendations went forward, I challenge you to find me one of those recommendations that actually got enhanced, because I believe to this day that not one of them got done. That's the problem that I have with a lot of this.
I know we're here to talk about holding a celebration and respect for the industry, but there has to be a lot more respect shown for the people who engage in this industry from a local perspective, and we have to do more to promote it internationally. When I hear of places like Russia and the United States banning seal products, it's absolutely amazing because they have mink farms and fox farms and they wear it every day. They're wearing leather shoes to work, but all of a sudden the seal has become taboo. It's become taboo because of those anti-use groups that are using it to make millions of dollars. Hollywood has done well by this industry. Our people have suffered.
Thank you.