I can't speak on the co-ops in general, the co-op movement. Other than the co-op I'm working at, I haven't had a whole lot of experience. I'm probably the prime example of what Mr. Webb mentioned. I came from larger companies within the corporate structure. So it was a complete shock to the system when I arrived the first time at the co-op to take over. It certainly takes a lot of learning to get your head around the whole concept of it.
But in general, for the fishery itself, the co-op model is very important for a number of fisheries. A lot of the fisheries are controlled by bigger companies. A lot of the smaller ones, though, that are individual fish, like lobster, like crab, could be very well served by pushing more towards a co-op model, giving some power to the individual fishermen so they would have some control.
What I found most impressive is that.... For instance, I have 12 members who make up my board. I hear all kinds of arguing and complaining and all that, until I put them on the board. As soon as I put them on the board and they see behind the scenes of the actual business, because I bring them in once a month to get approvals for everything I'm doing.... Once they get to see that and get the understanding of the business itself, it's much easier. I even find it makes discussions with government agencies, such as DFO, run much smoother, because they have a better understanding of the whole business and not just what happens on the boat or on the wharf. So whatever we can do to foster that would be a good thing.