Okay.
Getting back to the subject of our boat, RPPCI has acquired a scientific vessel that we use for our projects.
I should start by noting that all scientists agree that whales aren't believed to dive deeper than 20 fathoms. The Magdalen Islands is on a 20‑fathom plateau.
From time to time, a whale will come close to the islands. Whales swim at a rate of six knots, so at that speed, in 10 hours, it will be 60 miles away. It's gone. Based on the established protocol, as soon as a whale is reported, the protocol is put in place and the sector is closed after 48 hours. That gives us 48 hours to move our traps. However, after this 48‑hour period, the whale has reached another sector. That means the government is closing a sector where there aren't any whales anymore. That is why we were ready to offer our captain and our boat to escort any whale as soon as it's sighted, to make sure it doesn't get entangled in our gear and doesn't come near the islands.
If there's a whale near the islands, we're prepared to close our sector, and we'll do it gladly. But as I was explaining earlier, we're right in the middle of the gulf. All whales swim by the Magdalen Islands. If 153 have been detected, those 153 all went by the islands, because, don't forget, the islands are located in a whale transit corridor.
Whales don't stop to feed near the islands, because there is no mackerel or herring there anymore. The only species we fish now are lobster and crab. Whales aren't going to come feed on lobster in waters one fathom deep. As long as they keep going to feed in the area around the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, they will have to swim by the Magdalen Islands. But we don't want to relive the same experience we went through two years ago.