Good afternoon.
Mr. Chairman, members of the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans and other presenters, I appreciate the opportunity to speak today on the truth about capelin and its importance to the ocean ecosystem.
While there is always a push by environmental groups, ocean conservationists and animal rights activists to reduce and cease commercial fishing activity, especially for capelin, there is never any reference to predation by seals. Seals are, in fact, one of the largest predator groups that consume capelin in significant volume, much more than any commercial fishing effort.
In this case, DFO and the international scientific community agree that capelin—