Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for his question on an issue that greatly concerns British Columbians and the minister.
I will go through some of the answers to the question of where the fish are, but let me preface my comments by saying that the minister takes the situation very seriously. In a matter of weeks he will release the wild salmon policy for public consultation. If the member knows of groups that would find a value with this process of acquiring information, then he should ensure that they provide effective input into the wild salmon policy which will be up for public consultation.
The management of the fisheries in 2004 was particularly difficult for environmental reasons. Some fish were in abundance while other salmon species were small in numbers. This made it very difficult to provide adequate harvesting procedures.
To answer the hon. member's question as to the review process, I want to share with him which groups will be involved. Essentially the ones that will be involved will be the first nations, the commercial fishery, the recreational fishery, and the environmentalists. All four groups will have a part in the salmon review.
The mandate of this particular review will be the following. A committee will be responsible for reviewing the conduct of all fisheries included in the 2004 southern salmon integrated fisheries management plan. It will involve multiple questions. In fact all of the questions that can possibly be asked to get to the bottom of this problem will be asked and will be investigated by a group that has the capability and the knowledge to find the answer.
If there are groups or individuals that the member feels would have significant input in getting to the bottom of the problem, then he should make sure that they get in contact with the minister's office and that they provide the written documentation. We want to ensure that we have a longstanding, stable fishery on the west coast and that the salmon stocks are preserved in perpetuity.
I can assure the member that the minister and the government are very concerned and very interested in getting to the bottom of this problem. That is why the minister has asked for this review. That is why the minister has involved a very specialized group of people in this area. That is why the minister is very interested in input from the member and from groups that the member feels could provide adequate input into this problem.