Thank you, Chair.
My question is for Mr. Knight.
Mr. Knight, in listening to your testimony, certainly, if I was a fisher, I would be alarmed, concerned and use a lot of negative terminology on what their livelihood is, because the management of the resource stock is of absolute importance to the fishing industry of Atlantic Canada. On the east coast we live on it. Getting the science, getting assessments, is so critical.
I want you to comment on this. It's interesting that every time there is a reduction in quota by DFO—scientists recommend a reduction—there is this groundswell of opposition from the industry itself. Any time there's an increase, there's not a peep.
Could you comment on the discrepancy? A lot what I'm hearing today is the same commentary that was made in the lead up to the 1992 closure and total collapse of the Newfoundland cod fishery, when fishers were saying scientists were getting it wrong. We've seen that in a number of pelagic species here on the east coast. Could you comment briefly?