Yes. Thank you for your question, MP Small.
I mentioned that this fleet was the basis for the fishery on the northern peninsula for many years now, and it provided most, or a good portion, of the processing work.
As you probably know, but I will just highlight, the shrimp stocks have been declining precipitously. To quote our chairperson, Mr. Rendell Genge, who was one of the first harvesters to ever fish shrimp in the gulf in the late 1960s, even though we saw a decline in the past 18 months, no one could have ever figured that the drop would have been so quick and so fast.
People have been borrowing against their savings. They've been borrowing from the financial institutions. Some of them made investments a few years ago to try to stay in and secure a future when DFO implemented the idea of combining enterprises.
I've had conversations with basically each and every one of these individuals as a group, as well as individuals. Many people will not make it through 2024 without some help. Some might not make it anyway. It's a very bleak situation. For a proud group of harvesters—as you said, people who supported their communities and the region for so long—it is difficult to see that, particularly since I've worked with them for 20 years of my career.