Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here and making time in their schedules for the committee.
I'll get right into it. A number of small shrimping businesses have basically just been put out of work. The news is making its way around. Already, we are hearing about shrimp harvesters putting their boats up for sale.
The quota set by the minister is much too small and has to be shared with big fleets that have hundred-foot-plus boats, when we know that small businesses and villages are the backbone of the fishing economy. At least, that's the case in Quebec. The whole village suffers when a boat is tied up.
The assertion is that we don't have the right data, but the best evidence seems to come from scientists and harvesters telling us that there are at least three million tonnes of redfish in the gulf. Redfish are a predator for shrimp, so apparently we have to harvest at least 300,000 tonnes annually to curb the growth of redfish. How, then, do you explain a 25,000‑tonne quota that has to be shared with big offshore fleets, while numerous boats stay tied up?
Then we're told that we don't have the right data or all the necessary data, while local economies are being jeopardized. I'm having trouble wrapping my head around the decisions DFO is making right now, and I'm not the only one. Many harvesters are in trouble and they're very frustrated. When they find out that the data are incomplete, it's even worse. It hurts even more.
Mr. Williams, isn't there some sort of middle ground, something that could be done? How can we increase the quotas to give these people a chance to earn a living without hurting the resource? It's been clearly shown that redfish are prevalent.