Thank you, Chair.
Minister, it's so nice to see you back today with us at committee. It was also nice to see you in my riding of Nanaimo—Ladysmith recently. I do hope that we can coordinate future visits. I have many people I'd love to introduce you to.
I did ask about this a bit. I was hoping to get some updates and for you to perhaps expand a little on your answer. We we know that in our B.C. waters here on the west coast we're seeing a rapid decline in Pacific wild salmon. We know that in order to protect these wild salmon, we need to get open-net pen fish farms out of our waters. Although we've been seeing steps in the right direction, we're still seeing proposals for massive increases in fish farming in regions like Clayoquot Sound. With many of the fish farming licences up for renewal in the next few weeks, we need a clear plan about how this government will meet its commitment by 2025.
I'm wondering if you can clarify when we will see a clear plan to transition away from open-net fish farms. Will this plan include moving away from in-water salmon farming in British Columbia?