In Newfoundland and Labrador alone, there are approximately 20,000 or so fisheries workers, and these jobs support more than just the fishery. Because of the geographic distribution of our province, our coastal rural communities depend on the fishery to support other industries as well.
We saw the effects of this after the 1992 cod moratorium without the protection of the owner-operators and ensuring that product has landed here. We have owner-operator enterprises that support good jobs. We're looking at the eradication of not only our community-based fisheries but also the schools, the health care centres and all of those spinoff jobs that come from the fishery.