I think it's safe to say that, most of the time, the department is reactive, rather than proactive. Back in 2011, when fishers started reporting sightings of small red fish—which we used to refer to as peanuts because they were just three centimetres long—it should have immediately raised a red flag at the department. It should have realized that a phenomenon was emerging and that it needed to analyze the situation right away. That didn't happen, though. The department lets things drag on until its back is against the wall; then it starts asking what it can do. Very often, it ends up closing the fishery because that's all it can do when things get to that point. That's no solution.
On June 9th, 2022. See this statement in context.