Mr. Speaker, thousands of our people have been forced out of work due to our declining groundfish resources. Underwater cameras have uncovered compelling evidence of the destruction of our codfish stocks by the growing seal herds in our bays and off our coasts. Tonnes of partly eaten codfish have been discovered on the ocean floor in the Bonavista Bay area.
Seals only consume part of the fish, leaving the rest on the ocean floor to decay. It is time the Government of Canada, the custodian and manager of seal herds and our fish stocks, immediately increase the seal harvest to give our groundfish stocks a chance to regenerate.