Thank you, Chair.
I'm going to ask questions of every one of you, and I'd like you to note the question. If you don't have an opportunity to answer it, I would appreciate it if you could submit a written answer, because I think this will be probably the only five minutes I get.
My question for you, Mr. Beamish, is on the studies we've seen on the ocean and the commingling of fish from countries that do ocean ranching—I will use the term loosely—such as Japan and the Russians. You haven't talked very much about the fish coming from Alaska, and I am wondering what's happening there. Can you talk about where these fish are going if they're not showing up in catches? If we're down 70%, are the fish moving somewhere else or are they coming back to the wrong stream? Are they showing up in our Arctic systems where they haven't shown up before? Could you just comment a bit on that?
Mr. Hurwitz, first of all, I'll extend my appreciation to you and everybody else. I've gone to so many hatcheries on the coast and visited with people, but I unfortunately never got to yours.
I want to talk about mobile marking facilities, because I don't think it's possible to have stationary ones. Could you tell us what the cost would be and how many hatcheries like yours, community-based hatcheries, could be impacted if we are going to do complete marking? How many of those hatcheries would be available, or how many of them could access a mobile marking system?
Carol, it's wonderful to see you here again. I was honoured to go out to your facility. I think Mel and I went out there at the same time. I want to talk a bit about fresh water versus salt water. I know that at the Marble River facility they actually rear some of the fish in fresh water, and they rear some in places like Quatsino Lodge, which has a pen there where they rear some of the chinook and get better returns. Can you talk a bit about the difference between rearing to a certain size in fresh water versus rearing in salt water?
My last question is for you, Mr. Johnson. We've heard from a lot of people who were talking about seals and predation. Some have suggested that we don't have to do a massive amount of effort on predatory seals; we just have to target the ones that are causing the most havoc. I'm wondering if you could elaborate a bit on that.
I'll just let you guys answer to the best of your ability.