Fisheries committee  Thank you for having me.

Fisheries committee  I think you'd have to consult a lawyer on that one, and whether it's not defamation, at the end of the day.

Fisheries committee  It's important to make a distinction between tracking and tracing for the eco-labelling and one for the European Union requirement. The tracking and tracing for eco-labelling is a requirement if you want to use the organization's label. For MSC, if you go through the process, you get your certificate for sustainability, and you want to use that little fish that they have on your products.

Fisheries committee  It's Global Aquaculture Alliance. One is based on WWF standards and one is based on Global Aquaculture Alliance standards.

Fisheries committee  That depends on the assessment process for getting the certificate. As I said, there are some organizations that if you pay them $5,000, they ask a few questions and you get the certificate. There are questions about the credibility of that process and whether they're actually looking at sustainability.

Fisheries committee  I hear those concerns regularly, and obviously we've heard them today. The ENGOs are not accountable to Canadians. They're accountable to their donors, I guess. However, at the end of the day, it's the markets that decide what seafood to purchase. I continue to think that markets are getting more and more informed about what's out there, and they are setting aside those that are not credible and are going with those that they feel are more credible.

Fisheries committee  The way we see things at Fisheries and Oceans Canada is that the markets are creating, or have created, an incentive for fisheries to be sustainable. That is where we're heading. As a department, that is what we want, essentially. It is therefore in our interests to support this movement and help our industry get on board with the movement.

Fisheries committee  We have been active in talking to folks like Loblaws and others in Canada as well as in the U.S. I did a road show in the U.S. through large cities, talking to large retailers, brokers, restaurant owners, chefs, chefs associations across the U.S. We're going to do the same thing in Europe in some of the large cities there, but mostly through the seafood show in Brussels.

Fisheries committee  It's something that the industry is watching very closely, particularly the industry that's involved in MSC processes. They're worried about the bar being lifted with time. There are two things to look at in respect to that. Ecosystems management—we learn about new things in the ecosystem every day.

Fisheries committee  There are a lot of options and choices, but the fact that the WWF has tried to pull everybody in a room, trying to move forward on one path the... I'm sorry if I don't have it on the tip of my tongue, but aquaculture is not my area. There's another group that's also... There seem to be two frontrunners out there, two groups, bringing in a lot of the people involved in the aquaculture production to try to flesh out and firm up their standards and processes in compliance.

Fisheries committee  No, we are not.

Fisheries committee  It's a good question, actually, and it's something that the international community, the OECD is looking at. Fishing enterprises are also looking at this. The prawn fishery is a good example of a well-managed fishery, and I agree with you. The level playing field is going to be established by markets.

Fisheries committee  That's a really good question, actually. The Asian markets have not demonstrated a desire and interest at this point to look at the eco-labelling or the sustainability demand, if other than to consider it. Some of the producers, particularly in China, are looking at this issue from the stuff that they produce to export into markets where they demand it.

Fisheries committee  Neither one is. I know that the Marine Stewardship Council has offices in Japan and has just recently opened one in China, so there's a bit of that as well happening in terms of trying to get them onside. Some of these countries are involved or have some industries involved in IUU fishing, or have some challenges with respect to some of the operations they have.

Fisheries committee  There are a number of possible responses to your comments. The first is that the reputation of Canadian products is strengthened by the fact that a number of Canadian companies are currently taking part in the MSC process, which seems to be the most stringent, and so the assessments are more detailed, and they are making it through successfully.