Yes. In short, yes, I think so.
In some cases, no. There are some issues where science can be very clear. There are x number of fish. We need these allocations and we catch y many for a given fishery. That's maybe, sometimes. However, as we've heard today, there are much more controversial topics. The one I mentioned, salmon farming, and the impact on wild salmon, is one of them.
Really, the issue we're discussing is DFO's manipulation of the science advice. Science is not the only decision-making factor at the table. The decision-makers, as others have mentioned, have to weigh competing or complementary demands, the economy being one of them. It's really that the science advice that's presented to the decision-makers, ultimately to the minister, needs to be unfettered by departmental manipulation by mid- and upper-level managers.