Madam Chair, I would not say it is not a surprise to the people who earn their living from the sea. The dismay on the wharf right now in eastern Canada is palpable. If one were to go to the end of the wharf to talk to the fishermen or talk to people in the plants, one would find they are scared to death as to what is going to happen this year.
Let me ask a specific question. I know the minister is well briefed on this topic and I know she was gracious enough to meet with the fishermen when they came to Ottawa to present their case. She knows it well. It is about the area 19 fishermen and the co-management plan they have worked under for the last number of years.
They have taken decreases over the last number of years on their own. They have followed the recommendations of science and have undertaken some very aggressive measures as far as conservation of the resource goes. They are feeling the hurt from undertaking those particular steps. They are not seeing any benefit now because they are sort of lumped into the same pie. They are in a stand-alone area, but they are lumped in.
The government is looking at conducting a spring survey, one that it has undertaken since 2004 and gives very accurate reads on the status of the resource in that particular area. Has the minister made a decision on that? I will ask the parliamentary secretary to respond. I would encourage the minister to give this great consideration. I would ask when we can expect a decision on that spring survey.