Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I will speak in support of Ms. Desbiens' motion.
There seems to be a thought within the department that fish will follow a time clock. I recall speaking to a harvester in Nova Scotia a number of years ago about the eel harvest and DFO was trying to determine when the season should open by a date on the calendar. The harvester's response to the question of when he thought the season should open was that it's when the spring peepers start to sing. It was by weather conditions and when the eel were there to be harvested, not by a date on the calendar.
I think what Ms. Desbiens is saying here is that the fish are only there for a certain period of time. The capelin are only there for a short period of time. To lose out on a full month of harvest because someone thought it was better for the calendar or for the entire stock in general, when such a small number are harvested through this process, doesn't seem to make sense.
I would support bringing the minister in and have her explain why this decision was made in the way it was. Hopefully, it could be changed to salvage a few more weeks out of the season.