I call this meeting to order. Welcome to meeting number 31 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans.
Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2) and the motions adopted on October 19, 2020 and April 21, 2021, the committee is meeting for its study of the state of Pacific salmon.
I have set aside some time at the end of today's meeting for drafting instructions; therefore, we will move in camera for the latter part of today's meeting. That will take us about 15 minutes. I will let members know when our time for questions for our witnesses has expired.
Today's meeting, of course, is taking place in a hybrid format. I don't think anyone is coming to us from the room, so I won't continue on with too much of that.
So you are aware, the webcast will always show the person speaking rather than the entirety of the committee.
For those participating virtually, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
Members and witnesses may speak in the official language of their choice. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have the choice, at the bottom of your screen, of “floor”, “English” or “French”. With the latest Zoom version, you may now speak in the language of your choice without needing to select the corresponding language channel. You will also notice that the platform's raised hand feature is now in a more easily accessible location on the main toolbar, should you wish to speak or to alert the chair.
There are no members participating in person, so I won't go through that.
I would now like to welcome our witnesses for today.
We have, as an individual, Mr. Anthony Farrell, professor, tier one Canada research chair in fish physiology, conservation and culture, University of British Columbia. From the Fédération québécoise pour le saumon atlantique, we have Myriam Bergeron, director general. From the Tlowitsis First Nation, we have Chief John Smith.
Mr. Smith, I know they had some difficulty with your sound check, so I would remind you to please speak slowly and clearly.
If you want to alert the chair, use the raised hand feature. When you're not speaking, please leave your mute button lit up.
We'll now proceed with opening remarks from Mr. Farrell, for five minutes or less, please.